


Breathing Angel Style

by Aerys_Krystie



Series: Angel Style [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Drama & Romance, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-12
Updated: 2017-02-23
Packaged: 2018-05-19 20:37:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 66,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5980300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aerys_Krystie/pseuds/Aerys_Krystie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jackson returns to Beacon Hills three years later, after his pack is attacked, dying and exhausted. He brings back an entity that they aren't sure they can kill, more drama than they know how to deal with and a lack of sex drive to drive Derek up the wall.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter I

**~Breathing Angel Style~**

**By:** Aerys Krystie.

 **Theme:** AU.

 **Plot:** Three years after Jackson left Derek and his pack, he returns injured. Scott has become an alpha, with Derek under him as the favorite beta. Between them and the betas that Scott has made, they managed to keep Beacon Hills relatively safe. When Jackson comes back, he brings back with him something they aren’t sure they can kill.

 **Warnings:** Slash, language, violence, OCs and major OOC.

 **Disclaimer:** Everything of and referring to Teen Wolf is not mine. This is a non-profit, fan-made story. Please support the official release.

oOo

The road less traveled was one that brought about epiphanies. That’s what some would say, as they walked along the backwater road, starving and injured. The occasional lone car would speed by, making the injured attempted to duck into hiding. The struggle was becoming too much and the gentle, seductive whisper of Death was alluring. He could feel the sly fingers plucking his soul, trying to lure him behind a bush where he could die in peace.

As much as he wanted to, Jackson Whittemore was not a quitter. He didn’t give up when his body was riddled with werewolf pneumonia that changed him into something that was only ever a legend to werewolves. He didn’t give up when the wolf-shifter took over and made him a person of interest to the alpha pack that wandered into town. He didn’t give up when a coven of witches took his friend, trying to rip out his heart so they could absorb his magic.

So he pushed on. His legs could barely support his weight and every limping step made his hind right leg pound with agony. The burning sensation was spreading up to the base of his tail and was slowly makings its way up to his spine. If he didn’t get to his destination soon, he would be another dead wolf by the side of the road.

He was starving and dehydrated, but he still pushed on. He would only rest for a few minutes at time, not wanting to give the poison any longer than that to paralyze him. He remembered what it did to his pack and he wasn’t going to go out like that. He would be damned if he was going to have his throat ripped out by another because the poison sent him insane.

Jackson had been walking for the last six days. Three days ago, he was carrying the she-wolf that he tried to claim as a mate. Sierra was everything he wanted, but there was something in the back of his mind that kept telling him she wasn’t good enough for Derek’s pack. He kept trying to push that back and it would always come back with a vengeance. No one he met was good enough for Derek’s pack, but he wanted to be with Sierra and had courted her. She finally accepted him.

Before they could mate, the pack was attacked. No one saw what it was, just that it swept through them and it left most dead. The ones that were left alive wished they were dead. Parents had to kill their pups as the poison took over them. Sierra was poisoned, but she managed to keep it hidden for three days. She had attacked Jackson as he carried her and bit his hind leg. He had ripped her throat out, leaving her body on the side of the road.

The only thought in his mind was to get back to Beacon Hills. He needed to find Stiles or Scott, someone that could help him. Someone that could help with the poison and help him repress the memories of killing his intended mate. His mind kept trying to wander back to Derek, but he fought it off. Derek was probably angry with him for leaving or just didn’t care. After all, they weren’t mates and Jackson was responsible for Peter biting him.

A truck sped by, horn blaring. Jackson flattened his ears, trying to ignore the pounding in his head from the loud noise. The driver didn’t see him, which was a good thing. He knew he didn’t have the energy to duck for cover. As much as he knew it would protect him, he just wanted to keep walking. His pace was slowing as the days of no food and water caught up with him. It probably didn’t help that it was summer and there was no rain.

The poison was making it impossible for his magic to work. The exhaustion didn’t help much, either. He could see the welcome sign to Beacon Hills and his ears pricked up. He was only a few miles from the town boarder. A burst of energy surged through him and he ran towards the sign. All he could think was that he was nearly there, nearly home.

As soon as he was a mile from the sign, Jackson threw back his head and howled. He needed them waiting for him, if they wanted to. He wasn’t sure how any of them were going to react, since he just left without saying anything to them. He couldn’t deny the call of an alpha, though. Since Derek wasn’t an alpha any longer, he needed someone that could give him guidance and let him grow.

His body seized as the poison grew and stretched up to his spine. He fell to the dusty ground, rolling a few meters and yelping in pain. He forced his body to stand and work through the pain. He was so close that he couldn’t give up. He couldn’t lie down and die. His eyes searched the darkness of the forest that surrounded the road.

Jackson’s eyes widened and he tried to step back. He ended up sitting down, staring at the large gray wolf that was stepping out of the darkness. His coat shimmered sapphire and emerald in the light. He threw back his head and howled, but Jackson couldn’t return the greeting. Derek was massive as a werewolf and he was even bigger as a wolf-shifter.

Derek stepped closer and Jackson saw that he was four inches taller. His paws were larger and his eyes were a constant battle of blue and green. Jackson got to his feet and limped forward, freezing when Derek snarled. His teeth were bigger, too. He knew that Derek could smell the poison in his body and probably didn’t want to be anywhere near him.

Jackson raised his head and stepped closer. Derek growled in warning, baring his teeth. Jackson didn’t care. He had spent the last six days making his way back to the town and he wasn’t going to be denied an audience with whoever the alpha was. He could smell that Derek was a beta in the pack, but wasn’t going to let Jackson into the town.

“What are you doing back here?” Derek demanded as he blocked Jackson’s path.

“I’ve come home.”

“You’re not welcome here.”

Jackson flinched at the venom in Derek’s words. He glared at the earth wolf. “You aren’t the alpha and I doubt you speak for him!”

“Jackson?”

Jackson blinked and looked around Derek to see Scott and a werewolf he didn’t know. The tension left his body when Derek stepped back. Scott smiled and Jackson limped over to him. He noticed the way the werewolves wrinkled their noses at his scent. He knew he smelled putrid, thanks to the poison that was basically decaying his muscles.

Scott sighed and gently stroked Jackson’s head. “Come on. Deaton should be able to help you and you’re exhausted. Derek, can you carry him, please?”

Derek shifted into his human form and scooped Jackson into his arms. Jackson whined as his infected leg was bumped. He heard Derek telling him to shut up mentally and Jackson swallowed his pain. He honestly never expected Scott to become an alpha, yet it didn’t seem that impossible. Scott did have some good qualities when it came to being a leader, such as compassion. Jackson would gladly bare his throat to Scott, if he wanted it.

 

oOo

 

When Jackson woke, he was in a dark room that was sterilized. He felt a lot better, to the point that he shifted into his human form. He let his eyes adjust to the darkness and listened to the heartbeats that surrounded him. There was one in the room, but he could almost smell that it was Derek and he really didn’t want to deal with him.

Swinging his legs over the gurney, Jackson ran his hands through his hair. He looked to the corner that Derek was standing in. All he saw were the swirling blue and green eyes. Derek stepped towards him and Jackson growled, narrowing his eyes. He hadn’t forgotten that he wasn’t welcomed back in town, according to Derek. Scott didn’t seem bothered by the fact that he had returned.

He got to his feet, so he could hold his own ground. He fell to his knees, gasping as pain shot up his right leg. _You aren’t ready to walk around, idiot,_ Derek stated and left the room. Jackson just hung his head, trying to ignore the pain. He was having serious flashbacks to when he was had the pneumonia and Derek ignored him. At least, back then, Derek had a reason to treat him like he had the plague.

Jackson used the gurney to stand and that was it. He couldn’t make it to the door, unless he shifted into his animal form, which would speed up the healing. So he got back on the gurney and shifted back into his wolf form. He closed his eyes and let sleep claim him. He could feel the healing restoring the muscle that was decayed. It repaired and he would probably be fine when he woke up.

As his body repaired, he heard people entering the room. Allison petted him gently, telling him she was glad he had returned as she had missed him. Isaac came in after her and hugged him tightly, saying he was badly missed. Stiles came in and joked about how Derek was letting his sexual frustration rule him, mentioning that he was nearly unbearable to be around, especially if someone mentioned him. A new person came in and held their hand to his nose, introducing themselves as Liam and not the Liam that was with Mark Doyle.

Jackson was left alone for a few hours, until the door creaked open and a female entered. She introduced herself as Malia and she wanted to know if Jackson was real. She said that the others had told stories about him. Her favorite story was how he fought the witch leader and then took the bullets to save Allison and Stiles. That was the only story there was out there on him. Before that, he was a piss poor excuse for a werewolf and a murdering kanima. Jackson liked her, though. She was gentle and quiet. She reminded him of Tsuki.

Malia was called away by Scott, who took her place. He didn’t say anything for a long while, just petted Jackson. He finally sighed and asked why it took him so long to come back and Jackson forced back a flinch. Scott mentioned that Allison and Stiles felt responsible for him leaving, as he had nearly died to protect them. Jackson wanted to say that that wasn’t the reason. He had left because he couldn’t handle being denied by Derek any longer. He needed to feel as though he belonged.

If anyone ever asked him how it felt to be a part of a snow wolf pack, Jackson would lie and say it was great. They didn’t need to know that he had his ass kicked for two years because he had the scent of another on him, which had claimed him. It took him nearly three years to prove that he didn’t have a mate. When finally was allowed a mate, they were attacked and she was taken from him. It wasn’t the best time of his life, but it had its moments and that was really all that mattered.

Scott lovingly ran his fingers over Jackson’s ear. He said that Jackson was always welcome into his pack and in his mind, Jackson heard Derek tell him to leave before he destroyed this. Jackson’s eyes snapped open and he jerked back from Scott, falling off the gurney in the process. His leg was basically healed and he shifted into his human form, telling Derek to go to hell.

As he stood, Scott stared at him. Scott hadn’t changed much in the three years. His face had matured a little and he was more built than before. Scott reached over and touched Jackson’s cheek, shaking his head and pulled back after a moment. Jackson knew he hadn’t aged in the slightest. The same thing with Derek. They looked exactly as they had three years ago, even down the stubble that Derek refused to shave off.

Scott grinned and beckoned Jackson to follow him. Jackson waved a hand over his body, dressed in an instant as he followed the alpha out of the room. He was in the basement of the Hale house. He was surprised that they remained there. There wasn’t any reason for them leave, though. With Derek’s magic, if extra rooms were needed he could add them with a thought.

They went to the kitchen and Allison immediately hugged him. Jackson smiled and returned the hug. As they stood there, Jackson let his eyes slide over the group. Isaac grinned at him and Jackson saw that he hadn’t changed in the slightest, either. He was still as boyish as ever. Stiles’ face became a little more angular, but he was still long limbed. He didn’t look as gangly as before. He released Allison and looked her. Her hips had developed a little more, getting ready for childbearing, but she was still beautiful.

Jackson’s eyes fell on Liam and Malia. They were staring at his eyes and then looking at Derek’s, which were glaring at Jackson. “So you’re the same as Derek then?” Malia inquired innocently and flinched when Derek growled.

“I’m not nearly as selfish,” Derek snapped.

“I’m not nearly as stupid,” Jackson retorted.

The tension in the kitchen went up and Jackson shook his head, leaving the room. He heard Scott growl at Derek before he followed. Jackson went to the front porch and sat on the top step, looking out at the trees and remembering the last time he was there. He could still feel Stiles’ fingers in his ruff, while Isaac rested his head on his abdomen and Scott face-planted his ribs.

It was memories like that that Jackson tried to repress. He didn’t want to think about what he’d left behind, because an alpha called out to him. He didn’t want to think about what he’d done to forget about Derek, which he knew he needed to keep hidden from the prying mind of a certain earth wolf. He didn’t need to give Derek another reason to hate him. Now that he was back, everything came flooding back.

He remembered when he played fetch with Allison and Isaac. He remembered the first time Chris saw his wolf form and threatened to shoot him if he mounted him. He remembered the way he would have done _anything_ to protect Derek and his pack. He would have done anything to protect Scott and Stiles, even though they weren’t technically part of the pack. They were kind to him, despite the way he had treated them. It was the least he could do for them. He remembered feeling wanted and as though he was part of a family.

Scott placed a hand on his back and Jackson turned to look at him. Deciding that feeling sorry for himself wasn’t the best way to come back, he asked, “How’s everything been in the three years I was away for?”

“A few months after you left, I became the alpha and Derek submitted to me. Peter disappeared, as well. We haven’t heard from him. I found Malia and she became part of the pack. Liam needed somewhere to fit in, so I gave him the bite. Vincent hung around for like a year, teaching Derek how to use his magic. Tsuki left, but he comes back when something bad is about to happen. We managed to get Mark Doyle to stop his mob business and go into the herb trade, which came in handy a few months ago.” Scott grinned, sliding his hand up to Jackson’s shoulder and pulling him close.

“What happened a few months ago?”

“Doppelgangers! There was a second me, Stiles, Allison, Derek and double of Ethan and Aiden. And yes, Stiles was the first to ask: ‘Is it classified as emo if I want to kill myself?’” Jackson smirked and shook his head. “Turns out that we needed white ask from a three hundred year old maple tree to kill them. They were causing havoc for three weeks before Mark got it in. Turns out that his mob connections come in handy for rare stuff like that.”

Jackson nodded and rested his head on Scott’s shoulder, not caring that the pose was intimate. It felt good to be close to someone that didn’t hate him. “Sounds like you’ve had a busy three years. Who are Ethan and Aiden?”

“A pair of alphas that wandered into town and decided to stay. Enough about us. What about you?”

Jackson tensed slightly. “What about me?”

Scott nuzzled the top of Jackson’s head, inhaling deeply. “I can smell the nervousness, Jackson. And I can hear your heartbeat. What happened to you while you were away from us?”

Jackson closed his eyes as Scott continued to nuzzle him. He forgot how good it felt to have someone take care of him, instead of kicking his ass. “I joined a pack. We took down a griffon that was trying to take over our territory. Yes, griffons are real, too,” he confirmed when he sensed Scott’s surprise. “I was with them until we were attacked a week ago, unless I’ve been out longer than a day.”

“Two weeks ago,” Scott corrected and Jackson jerked back. “Deaton removed the poison that was growing in you, but we think it did more damage than we could see. Derek went into your mind and said that it was mostly exhaustion. We fed you through an IV.”

“Damn,” Jackson whispered and took up his position against Scott’s shoulder again. “I was more fucked up than I thought.”

“Wow,” Allison said from the door way. Jackson and Scott looked back at her. “You really have a thing for the alphas, don’t ya, Jackson?”

Jackson stuck his tongue out at her, but then glanced between her and Scott. “When did you two break up?”

“Two years ago,” Scott answered, brushing his fingers over the scars on Jackson’s neck. “We still love each other, but we couldn’t make it work as a couple. As comrades, we’re a force to be reckoned with.”

“So that’s why Isaac smells like her and she smells like Isaac.” Jackson nodded. “Well, I’m not sure about that force.”

Scott stood and smirked. “Sparring match, then?”

Allison rolled her eyes and went back inside. “Wolves,” she muttered and Jackson got to his feet.

Jackson walked down that steps and removed his hoodie, throwing it to the side. Scott pulled off his shirt and Jackson raised an eyebrow. Scoot looked great for someone that had no definition three years ago. Jackson shook his head and focused on the way Scott was standing.

“No wolf and no magic. We’re doing this as humans.”

“You could never beat me as a human, McCall,” Jackson taunted as he started to circle Scott. It was an instinct from being a wolf. Scott was also doing it.

“Things change.”

Jackson blocked the punch aimed for his cheek and Scott blocked the kick for his ribs. Scott pulled back, but Jackson didn’t him a chance to catch his breath. He rushed in, his elbow connecting with Scott’s nose. He kicked out the alpha’s knee and smashed his face on his knee. Scott cursed and fell back, his werewolf healing kicking in.

If Jackson was the way he was four years ago, he would’ve pointed out that Scott wasn’t playing fair by letting himself heal. However, it felt good to have his blood pumping again. He held his hand out to Scott. The alpha glanced at it and Jackson stepped back when Scott’s next move flashed into his mind. He knew that was cheating as well, but he wasn’t ready to make out with Scott McCall in front of the Hale house. He had no idea why Scott would even be thinking something like that.

Scott jumped to his feet and smiled at Jackson. “That was over way too quickly. I think next time I’ll have to see how my alpha self goes against your snow wolf. Derek lets me dominate him, but I get the feeling you won’t be as much of a pushover.”

Jackson shrugged and grabbed his hoodie, heading inside with Scott. He wished it had lasted a little longer, but he was glad to know he could kick Scott’s ass as a human. He also wished that he hadn’t worn such tight jeans as they restricted some movements. They went into the kitchen and found it empty. Jackson shrugged and created a meal of waffles and pancakes for himself, smothered in fresh fruits that he was dying to dig into.

Scott sat beside him and looked at the food. “Stiles said that you had gone vegetarian,” he muttered as he took a strawberry. “Can I ask why?”

Jackson’s hands shook, so he lowered the knife and fork and inhaled deeply. “I can’t stand the idea of spilling blood. After knowing what I did as the kanima, I couldn’t handle killing for sport and then I found out that I felt the same way about meat. It’s a weird quirk, but it isn’t one I’m about to give up.”

Scott bit into the strawberry and nodded. “That makes sense. We’re not here to judge you. Just make sure you get your protein and iron.” He stood and nuzzled the top of Jackson’s head, inhaling the fresh scent that always surrounded the snow wolf.

Jackson rolled his eyes. “Sure thing, Coach,” he said and ate a blueberry. He frowned when he noticed that Scott was staring at him. “Are you okay, Scott? You’ve been acting strange since I woke up.”

Scott frowned. “I don’t know what it is. I mean, you’ve always been attractive, but now I feel the need to claim. I felt it the day Derek’s scent started to fade from you, but it surrounds you again.”

“You’re an alpha. I apparently let off a pheromone that attracts alphas and makes them want to claim me. I guess it’s my submissive personality. Maybe I’m just attracted to power.” Jackson shrugged and licked whipped cream from his lower lip, smirking at Scott.

“That’s not nice.” Scott growled and took a deep breath, stepping back. “Look, I won’t do anything about this if you don’t want me to.”

Jackson raised an eyebrow. “Is it your scent that’s clinging to me like a bad smell?” When Scott shook his head, Jackson nodded towards the kitchen entrance. “He won’t let you claim me.”

Scott nodded slowly. He had felt Derek’s glare on him for the last minute and was nearly certain he didn’t want to fight the earth wolf. “Claim him already,” Scott ordered and left the kitchen via the backdoor, likely to run off the frustration. It seemed that going for a run was still the only way to work out sexual frustration.

Jackson ignored Derek. The close proximity to Scott was enough to make him horny. He ate his breakfast and then stood. Derek was leaning against the kitchen frame, glaring at him. Both of them frowned and turned to the back door. Jackson knew he had heard someone walking around back there, but there wasn’t a scent or a heartbeat.

He narrowed his eyes when Derek stepped in front of him. He pushed his way to the front, ignoring the scoff from Derek. He sniffed and frowned, stepping back, pressing his back to Derek. He hooked his foot around Derek’s ankle, tripping him. Derek held onto him and they both crashed to the floor, just as a stick sailed past and embedded in the wall.

While it was in the air, it had a strange blue-pink tinge to it. Once it struck the wall, it went back to being a normal stick. Jackson got to his feet, ignoring Derek as he cursed about the hand on his sternum as Jackson stood. He sniffed along the stick and gazed at the strange marking on it. He went to touch it, but his wrist was caught and Derek glared at him.

“You don’t just touch strange, magical sticks, moron,” he snapped and released Jackson’s wrist. “At least I know how you were poisoned.”

“What’s going on?” Liam asked as he and Isaac entered the kitchen. The werewolves froze and took in the bizarre scent. Liam wrinkled his nose. “Jesus fuck! What _is_ that?”

“Ozone,” Jackson muttered as he tilted his head at the stick. He placed the tip of his left index finger to it, pulling it back when it sizzled. The smell of ozone invaded his senses and he tilted his head.

“You’ve come across this before?” Isaac inquired as he pushed between Derek and Jackson to look at the stick. “Are those runes?”

Jackson shook his head. “It’s Greek. It’s an enchantment.”

Isaac groaned and threw his hands up. “Not witches again!”

“No, it isn’t witches,” Jackson murmured as he ducked under the stick, looking at the other side. “This is something else. I’ve got no idea what, but I’m sure there’s something downstairs about what it _might_ be.” He looked between Derek, Isaac and Liam. “So who wants to help me look?”

 

oOo

 

In the end, it was a very reluctant Derek Hale that helped Jackson with the research. Vincent had instilled the languages into Derek, which made it a lot easier to go through all the tomes. Stiles came down after a while and tried to ignore the tension in the room. It went well, until Jackson and Derek collided and growled.

Stiles tensed and edged towards the door, ready to make a getaway if it came down to it. Jackson narrowed his eyes. Derek tried to stare him down, but Jackson wasn’t about to submit to him. He wanted to say that there was nothing between them, but their emotions ran too high when they were in the same room.

Jackson tensed when Derek’s eyes dropped to mouth. He stepped back when Derek bowed his head and cursed himself when Derek smirked. He grabbed the book he wanted and went back to his chair. Jackson exhaled shakily and sagged against the bookshelf, grateful that they were bolted to the floor. He grabbed the book he was after and went to the opposite side of the room, flipping through the pages and trying not to think about how nice it was to have Derek that close again.

Stiles went back to his laptop and searched through any kind of creature that would leave the scent of ozone behind. Jackson glanced at his fingertip, which was still marked from the magic of the stick. He curled his fingers and frowned. The ozone scent had been around after the thing attacked his pack, but he didn’t stop to think about it. It wasn’t until Sierra told him what it was that he even realized there was a scent.

He glanced over his shoulder at Stiles. The human was rubbing his eyes and smothering yawns. They had been down there for hours. He created a can of energy drink beside the laptop and turned away before Stiles could see who it was. Jackson’s eyes were drawn back to the burn on his fingertip. It didn’t hurt. It didn’t do anything, except remind him that he had touched some kind of magical stick.

Jackson stood and went over to the laptop. He leaned over Stiles as he brought up a search engine and typed in the words of the enchantment. He frowned when he saw that it was a Greek prayer to the Goddess Gaia. He rested his chin on top of Stiles’ head as he read through some of the texts out for it. Nothing was terribly helpful about what kind of creature would use the prayer to power sticks and fire them at wolf-shifters.

He thanked Stiles and used his magic to grab all the books that were in Greek. He stood in the middle of the room and flipped through the pages, trying to find anything. He discovered that the Goddess of the earth in Classical Greek times was either Demeter or Gaia. For some reason, no one seemed able to agree on what her name was. Both of them had a daughter named Persephone who spent six months of the year with Hades.

His pen was scribbling down anything that might be of interest to their case. Scott came down and told them that dinner was ready. Jackson waved them on. He wasn’t going to stop until he found out what had followed him. He needed to know why he was being hunted. He doubted he was the only surviving member of the pack. Even if he was, why would whatever want to wipe out that pack? They hadn’t done anything bad in the three years that Jackson was with them.

“Jackson, dinner,” Scott reiterated with a hint of a growl.

“Yeah, I’m not hungry. Besides, I think I’ve almost found it.” His eyes scanned the page in front of him and he missed Scott moving towards him. He hissed as claws dug into his neck, forcing him to tilt his head back and bare his throat to Scott.

“That’s what I thought. You eat with the rest of us from now on. I don’t care what you and Derek have going on between you, you will not put anyone in danger with your pissing matches. Am I clear?”

Jackson’s lips parted as the claws dug in further. “Yes, sir,” he whispered.

“Good.” Scott’s eyes roamed over Jackson’s face, stopping at his mouth. He leaned forward, but snapped out of it when Derek growled. Scott removed his claws and Jackson pursed his lips. “Head upstairs.”

Jackson walked around Scott, hand over the next set of scars on his neck from a werewolf’s claws. He sat at the dining table, grinning at everyone and helping himself to the vegetables that were on offer. He sat between Stiles and Liam. He half-listened as they talked about what was happening around the town. It seemed that everyone had fat bank accounts to live off of, thanks to some unknown benefactor. They had called on Danny to do a back trace, but had come up empty.

All too soon, the conversation turned to Jackson and what he had done for the last three years. Jackson admitted that his time away was fairly boring compared to what they had to face, but all of them took an avid interest in the griffon he and his pack took down. He left out the part of trying to mate with Sierra, but figured it was about time to mention to everyone that his pack was attacked two weeks ago.

Silence fell over the table. “So you brought it back with you?” Derek asked and arched a brow.

Jackson clenched his jaw as everyone’s eyes turned to him. “I wasn’t expecting it to follow me. It could have taken me out while I was on the road. And it was after you, not me.”

“Is that so? It wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.”

“Maybe it just knows what a douche you are and wants to remove you,” Jackson snapped and stood, glaring at Derek. “If it wasn’t for me, that stick would be in _your_ spine!”

Derek growled and stood as well. Scott sighed. “Sit,” he ordered with a hint of alpha in his voice.

Jackson and Derek slowly sat down. They didn’t speak again during dinner, but they didn’t stop glaring, either. Malia and Stiles tried to change the topic to something a little more lighthearted, like the weather. Jackson pushed his plate away and left the table, heading back to the basement so he could continue with the research. Just anything to not think about what Derek said and to not let the guilt seep in until he was useless. To hell with Derek, anyway.


	2. Chapter II

**~Breathing Angel Style~**

**By:** Aerys Krystie.

oOo

Jackson sighed and closed his eyes, resting his cheek on the page he was just reading. For the last five hours, he had been in the basement. He tried to find something that could help them, but there was nothing, it seemed. There was nothing in English, Welsh, Egyptian, Greek, Indonesian, Australian, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, Italian, Spanish or Korean lore about something that used enchanted sticks with a prayer to Gaia.

He pulled his head up and stared at the words on the old parchment. He couldn’t believe the collection that the Hales had when it came to their books. When he was certain he had been through all of them, he found another shelf load that held the promise of new information. He created a watch and checked the time. Oh. It had been much longer than five hours. That would explain why everyone was asleep.

Jackson closed the book and turned off the lamp. He made his way upstairs to the kitchen, where he poured a glass of milk. He drank it and walked past the living room, pausing when he saw Derek doing chin-ups on the frame. He knew he should just continue walking and pretend he never saw it, but there was something about the way his back sweated and the way his muscles moved that had Jackson transfixed like a cat on a laser pointer.

Derek stopped and dropped, turning to glare at Jackson. “What?”

Jackson shook his head, raising his shields to keep Derek out of his mind. “Nothing. I – Nothing.” He turned towards the stairs. “I almost mistook your for a wolf-shifter, instead of a bitch.”

The front door opened and Jackson was thrown out it. He landed on his feet, glaring at Derek as he walked out. He tried not to think how goddamn sexy Derek looked as he prowled down the stairs, eyes fixed and intent on his prey. On the last step, Derek shifted in his wolf form and Jackson followed suit. If he wanted a fight, he was going to get one. Jackson had learned a lot after spending two and a half years at the bottom of the pack.

Jackson knew how to have this fight over in less than a minute, if Derek played along. They circled, snarling and growling quietly. They didn’t want everyone to wake up because of what they were doing. It was natural for them to assert their dominance over the other. Jackson had been a wolf-shifter a whole week longer than Derek, which made him the alpha between them by default. However, Derek would never submit to someone like Jackson and the snow wolf knew that.

Derek snapped at him and Jackson went for a front leg. Derek’s teeth clamped around his scruff and threw him to the side. Jackson bit back a yelp and got to his feet, not caring that his blood was sprayed across the leaves. He was used to bleeding for and because of Derek. The earth wolf bit his ribs and Jackson swung his head around, sinking his teeth into the side of Derek’s neck and throwing him to the side.

Derek was up in an instant, lunging for Jackson again. He caught Jackson’s front paw and Jackson couldn’t stop the yelp that left his jaws. His head pulled back and Derek’s jaws wrapped around his throat. His good paw came up and he scratched Derek’s eye, which earned him a snarl of pain and the pressure removed. He pulled back slightly, but Derek went in for his throat again. Jackson whimpered as he thrown to the ground and Derek growled for him to submit.

Jackson struggled against the hold, but Derek bit down harder, bruising and puncturing the skin. Unable to do anything, Jackson just froze and tilted his head back. He did so just in time for Scott to run outside and stare at them. He held a hand up to his nose as their blood hit him like a truck and Jackson waited for him to scold them, while he waited for Derek to release him.

Instead, Derek clamped down harder and Jackson yelped. Derek wasn’t paying attention to him, though. He was glaring at Scott and Scott’s eyes turned red. Derek finally removed his jaws from Jackson’s throat, blood dripping from his teeth. He snarled at Scott, daring him to fight him. Scott, being a typical alpha, accepted the challenge. He calmly walked up to Derek and went full alpha on the wolf-shifter.

Scott was surprisingly fast. Derek’s fur was literally flying as Scott clawed at him and eventually forced him into submission. When Derek stopped fighting, Scott pulled back. Jackson got to his feet and limped into the trees, wanting to die alone. That wasn’t an option as Scott picked him up and took him back to the house, upstairs to the bedroom he had claimed when he was staying there.

“I need you to shift into a human, Jax. I need to see what the damage is.”

Jackson whimpered, but did as he was ordered. He knew it felt terrible and he could guess that it looked just as bad from the expression that crossed Scott’s face. He tilted his head back when Scott leaned down and started to lick the wounds on his throat. He closed his eyes as he felt the holes closing and healing, placing a hand on Scott’s head.

Scott growled softly, moving to the other side and crawling on top of Jackson. Their hips met and Jackson gasped, rocking against the alpha. He ignored the pain in his right wrist as his hands slid down Scott’s back and gripped his hips. Scott didn’t stop licking as his hips rocked against Jackson’s, their hard cocks rubbing together.

Jackson inhaled Scott’s scent and froze. He wasn’t the same as Derek. Jackson had always loved the scent that surrounded Derek, but Scott just didn’t compare. Scott raised his head and Jackson shook his, hoping that Scott wasn’t be disappointed. Scott nodded and pulled back, sitting on the edge of the bed as he ran his hands through his hair.

“Don’t feel bad, McCall. If I know for a fact that he won’t have me, at least I know you will.” Jackson stood and went into the bathroom, flicking on the lights. He looked at the bite mark on his ribs, just inches above where Derek had bitten him to make him a werewolf. He knew that he had a bite mark at the base of his neck, which was going to be fun to patch up. Scott had left the bedroom and Jackson really didn’t want to be around him.

He ran a hand over his naked torso and the wounds were patched up. He glanced at the door to Derek’s room. His eyes returned to his reflection and he saw that the punctures were gone, but the dark bruises were still forming. He looked at his wrist and sighed, changing his jeans into shorts and putting runners on. He went downstairs and out the door, deciding it was time to run off his sexual frustration.

Jackson had only gotten a few miles in before he realized that the bruising wasn’t just on the outside of his throat. He groaned as he slowed to a stop. He rested against a tree and coughed, trying to ignore the throbbing coming from his throat. Either way, it worked with removing his frustration at not being able to bone Scott and the fact that Derek didn’t want anything from him.

He sighed and kicked the tree he was leaning against. He was tired of never getting what he wanted. He had wanted to be a werewolf, instead he became the kanima. He shook his head. He was more mature now. He wasn’t going to cry over his past mistakes and he sure as hell wasn’t going to let Derek think he would wait for him forever. He figured that was a given, since he left for three years.

Pushing away from the tree, Jackson made his way back to the house at a steady jog. He went up the stairs and ended up coughing quietly, before he headed straight for the kitchen. He got a glass of water, frowning when something didn’t seem right. His back went rigid as something passed by him and he spun around, staring at the darkness that was behind him. He flicked his hand and the lights turned on, since he was one of those people that never understood why they didn’t do that in the horror movies.

He checked around the kitchen. There wasn’t a scent of anyone being in there recently and he shrugged, drank the water and rinsed out the glass. He looked out the window and frowned when he saw two glowing red eyes in the trees. He figured it was Scott out for a run and ignored it, heading upstairs after he turned off the lights. He paused at his door, glancing at Derek’s and tilting his head. He wondered how the earth wolf would react if Jackson walked into his room.

Touching his throat, Jackson decided he didn’t want to chance it. He removed the bandages on his wrist, back and ribs. He knew that it was going to take them a while to heal. Receiving a wound from another wolf-shifter always took extra time. It was like receiving a wound from an alpha, when Derek used to kick his ass as a werewolf.

He looked at the bite on his ribs, wondering if he should actually stitch that. It was long and ragged, but it would leave a hell of a scar on him if he let it heal like that. Of course, he didn’t want to explain to anyone how he got that scar, especially since Derek would probably take great pleasure in reminding him of it. Jackson sighed and went into the bathroom, grabbing the needle and thread that was waiting for him.

Basically closing his eyes and thinking of London, Jackson managed to stitch the wound shut. He slapped a patch over it, the same with the other wounds. He wandered back into his bedroom and fell onto his bed, cuddling a pillow. He was already missing being in a shifter pack. They all slept together. Even Jackson was allowed to snuggle in for warmth and comfort. He knew that Isaac and Allison were sharing a bed, which wouldn’t end well for him if slipped between them.

Derek was _out_ of the question. Jackson got the feeling he would wake up with his throat ripped out. Malia and Liam were too new for him to randomly walk up to cuddle with. Stiles was an option, but the human would probably freak out to find Jackson in his bed. Sitting up, Jackson glanced at his bedroom door. Scott wasn’t thinking with his upstairs head, but he wouldn’t freak out if Jackson showed up in his room.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so weird if he was in his animal form. Shaking his head, Jackson stood and left his room. He followed his nose to Scott’s room and invited himself in. Scott groaned as his door opened. Jackson closed it quietly and went up to the bed. He gazed down at the alpha. Scott opened his eyes, blinking sleepily.

“Is something wrong?”

Jackson shook his head and lied on top of the covers. “I can’t sleep alone and I figured you were the least likely to freak out or kill me,” he explained as he rested his head on the pillow. “I just need a cool – or in this case, warm – body beside me. It’s a bitch of a habit to break after three years.”

Scott smiled and directed Jackson’s head to his chest. “The alpha welcomes all to his bed,” he murmured and stroked Jackson’s hair gently. “I’m a cuddler, by the way. So don’t freak out if you wake up and find me holding you.”

“That’s fine with me,” Jackson muttered and closed his eyes, listening to Scott’s heartbeat. He chuckled for a moment. “I never thought I would be seeking comfort from you.”

“Just be grateful that it’s me and not someone else. Goodnight, Jackson.”

“G’night, Scott.”

 

oOo

 

Jackson woke slightly when someone moved in the bed. He moaned quietly and pulled the body closer, refusing to let it go. He heard a chuckle, but he still refused to relinquish his hold on the warm body, nuzzling into the throat. He inhaled deeply and instantly recognized it as Derek’s scent. He opened his eyes and was greeted by the swirling blue and green eyes of the earth wolf.

A lazy smile fell onto Jackson’s face, until he remembered that he had wandered into _Scott’s_ bed last night. He jerked back, not caring that it was completely ungraceful or that he was running away like a woman in a bad comedy movie. He stared at Derek and then looked around the room. He was definitely in Derek’s room and he was almost certain that he wasn’t a sleepwalker. He made sure he still had his running pants on and sighed with relief.

He got to his feet and ran for the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know what was going on, but decided it was time he was chained down to his bed or Scott’s bed. He really didn’t care whose bed it was, as long as he was chained down and he wasn’t going to end up some place strange. He showered quickly, scrubbing Derek’s scent from his body and stepped out. He waved a hand over his body, dried and dressed in an instant.

Jackson jogged downstairs, greeting everyone that was in the kitchen. He made a cup of peppermint tea and sat beside Malia, grabbing a poppy seed bagel. He cut it in half, glancing at the newspaper that someone had bought, likely when they went for a bagel run. He saw that there had been a murder in town. It was an elderly man that was killed in what they assumed was a break in. Jackson slathered cream cheese onto the bagel.

Malia glanced at him and smirked. “You still smell like him, by the way,” she said with a teasing edge. “He doesn’t smell that bad on you.”

“Not you, too! What is that, part of your initiation to join the pack, McCall?” Jackson glared at the alpha, but it lacked its usual bite.

Scott grinned from the sink. “The longer you two deny it, the worse it’s gonna get. I’m sorry, man. What did you think was gonna happen you wandered into his room last night?”

Jackson frowned and took a bite of his bagel. He swallowed and turned around to straddle the chair. “I thought I was in your bed last night?”

Malia snickered and Jackson shot her a warning glare. She swallowed her laughter. Scott nodded. “You were, for like an hour. Then you slipped out and went into Derek’s room. I guess you prefer your own kind over me.” He shrugged.

Jackson sighed and turned around on the chair. He finished his bagel and tea. He said he was going for his morning run, if he could. He changed his outfit with a wave of his hand and went to the front porch, stretching. He managed to push himself further than he did the previous night, grinning at Isaac and Allison when they passed him.

Even though nothing had happened to the previous pair, Jackson kept his senses alert. He didn’t want to be caught off guard, especially since he submitted to Derek. He groaned and shook his head, pushing his legs to go faster and ignoring the burning in his throat. He got to the clearing that appeared three years ago and removed the bottle of water that was strapped to his leg. He sucked in a mouthful as he walked to the center point of the clearing.

He looked around and saw that all the trees were uprooted in a three-hundred-yard radius. He figured it was either Vincent or Tsuki that had created the clearing. He didn’t think that either of them were that angry when they were there, but he spent a lot of time asleep, as well. He swallowed another mouthful of water, reattached it to his leg and headed back to the house. He passed Liam and Malia on their way and nodded at them.

When he got back, he ran straight to the kitchen and found a glass of orange juice waiting for him, along with Derek. Jackson hesitated with the juice, but Derek rolled his eyes and told him to drink it. Jackson did so and removed the water bottle from his leg. He finished the juice, placing the glass in the sink and went upstairs without another glance at Derek. He knew it was a childish thing to do, but he really didn’t take kindly to having his ass handed to him on a near silver platter.

Jackson went to the bathroom and pulled off the tank top he wore. He removed the patch at the base of his neck and checked the wounds. They didn’t look or smell infected, so he took that as a good sign. He looked at his bite on his ribs and saw that he did a decent job with the stitches. His wrist was healing nicely, but it would still be sore in his wolf form and he would have a limp.

He sat on the toilet and ran his hands through his hair. Derek hadn’t glared at him when he entered the kitchen. In fact, he didn’t seem all that bothered by Jackson’s presence. Maybe all they needed was a decent fight to let out all their anger towards the other. He sighed and tilted his head back, staring at the ceiling. He left the bathroom and went to his bedroom, still staring at the ceiling. He tilted his head and waved his hand over it, grinning as the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel appeared on his.

“Eat your heart out, Michelangelo.”

“You’ve gotten a lot better,” Isaac stated from the doorway. He stared at the ceiling. “I remember when you hard time trying to clean up the feathers after our pillow fight.”

Jackson looked at him and stuck out his tongue. “I’d only been a shifter for like two days when that happened. I think I did pretty good, all things considered. I did manage to clean up the feathers before Derek saw them.”

Isaac leveled his eyes to Jackson’s, all serious. “How long are you back for, Jackson? I don’t think any of us could handle you leaving again, especially Derek.”

Jackson lowered his eyes. He completely understood why all of them were on edge about him leaving, since he took off without a word to any of them. He had a decent friendship with Isaac before that happened, as well. He didn’t know if he would be leaving again, but he really hoped that he could stay for as long as they would have him.

“I don’t plan on leaving again, unless I’m forced out.” He glanced up and saw that Isaac was smiling. The werewolf stepped forward and hugged Jackson tightly.

“Welcome home, brother.”

Jackson couldn’t keep the grin from his face as he returned the hug, holding onto Isaac perhaps a little too tightly. Allison cleared her throat and raised an eyebrow when they broke apart. “Derek and Scott are yours. Isaac, however, is not. He’s mine. _All_ mine.”

Despite being a wolf-shifter and being immortal, Jackson swallowed and stepped away from the werewolf, fear coursing through him at the look in Allison’s eyes. The only time he ever felt threatened was when an alpha was getting in his face, especially recently. He cleared his throat and nodded, deciding it was easier to just agree with her.

Isaac walked out, explaining the situation to Allison. Jackson flopped to the floor and placed his hands behind head, staring at the mural on his ceiling. He had only been to Rome once, but the Sistine Chapel had always stuck in his head. He blinked when another head rested beside his and he looked at Liam. The werewolf was staring at the ceiling, an expression of mildly impressed on his face. Jackson rolled his eyes.

He didn’t say anything, though. He just returned his eyes to the ceiling and got lost in the art, wondering what it must have been like for Michelangelo. He had to remain on his back for so long to paint it. Yet nothing looked rushed. All of it was painted with love and precision. Jackson heard Malia join him and Liam, also looking at the ceiling. A few minutes later, Scott was with them. Stiles wasn’t far behind him.

“Did you hear about the murder?” Stiles asked absently and the others murmured their acknowledgment. “Dad doesn’t think it was because of a BnE. He said the body looked like it was mauled by an animal. He wanted to know what all you were doing last night.”

“Of course not,” Jackson mumbled and stretched his legs. “It was probably whatever the hell I brought to town.”

“We don’t blame you, Jax,” Scott stated and turned his head towards the shifter. “You wanted to be somewhere safe and here is safe, even with that thing out there. Did you tell your dad that all of us were here?” When Stiles nodded, Scott moved back to the thing that Jackson had likely brought to the town. “Do we have any idea what _it_ is, by the way?”

Jackson tensed slightly. He forgot that there was something he was meant to be doing. He dragged his body to his feet and said he would continue to look for it. Knowing his luck, Derek was probably already down in the basement carrying on from yesterday. Jackson was slightly surprised to see the basement empty. He took his position at the desk and looked at the book that was still open. He pursed his lips and went through his notes from yesterday.

“My god! What was I on when I wrote this?” He tried tilting the notepad to see if that made his writing anymore legible. He sighed and threw it to the table.

Jackson had no idea how long he was down there for when the door opened and Derek came in. He simply announced that lunch was ready and Jackson remembered Scott’s rules. He gave serious consideration to what would happen if he ignored the lunch call and continued to study. He figured that a dead body was more important that getting some food. If all else failed, he could create something to eat and waved Derek off, saying he would eat later.

He tensed when he felt the warmth of the earth wolf behind him. “Jackson,” Derek growled and Jackson glared at him. “One of the rules is that you eat when we do. If I have to drag you up there, I will.”

Jackson sighed and stood. He turned around and shoved Derek back. “ _Fine_ ,” he hissed as he stepped around the other shifter and went upstairs.

He sat between Stiles and Liam, frowning at the platter of cold meats in front of him. He looked up and down the table for the fresh fruit he assumed would accompany the meat. When there was nothing, he narrowed his eyes and ate the bread. When his energy was up a little more, he waved his hand over his plate and grinned at the fruit. He slapped away the hands of Stiles and Liam, especially when they went after the watermelon.

With a wave of his hand, fresh fruit appeared in the center of the table. While everyone was enjoying it, it honestly didn’t take long for a small fight to break out with the grapes. It didn’t help that Scott was the one to instigate the fight. They laughed and soon all the fruits were being thrown. Watermelon and kiwi fruit splattered on the walls and Jackson bit his lower lip, hoping he wouldn’t get the blame for that. It was easy enough for a shifter to clean, anyway.

Allison was warning anyone that even thought of taking aim at her. She stood and excused herself, leaving the rest to basically tackle someone and shove their face into some kind of fruit. Jackson cried out as Scott got him around the waist. He laughed when Derek took him out and crammed a watermelon on his head. Scott ripped the fruit apart, grinning as the juice ran down his face. Somehow, all of them managed to turn twelve again.

Jackson leaned over to Scott and licked his cheek, smirking. “The watermelon is good this year,” he said simply and stood, slapping away a kiwi fruit that was thrown at him by Malia. “Hey!” He struggled against Derek, as the shifter held his arms above his head. “What are you doing?”

“Have your way with him,” Derek ordered and the table was covered with an assortment of pies and cakes.

Jackson’s eyes widened. “Hey, come on, guys. You don’t have to do this. Think of what a waste it’ll be to all those delicious pies and cakes.”

It wasn’t working. All of them had a purely evil grin on their faces as they picked up one of the desserts and hurled it at him. Jackson wanted to run away, but Derek had an iron grip on him and he was forced to stand there, accepting everything that was thrown at him. He had no idea why he was being blamed for starting the fruit fight, when it was Scott who threw the first grape.

He licked the lemon meringue from his lips and raised his eyebrows. That was surprisingly really nice. He was expecting it to be bitter. Once everyone had thrown something twice, Derek lowered Jackson’s arms and licked the medley off his cheek. The others laughed, even going as far to take out their phones to snap pictures.

Jackson’s eyes widened. He pulled an arm free and elbowed Derek in the ribs. He turned around and gazed at the earth wolf coldly. His eyes went white as all the cake and pie on him was removed and splattered onto Derek. Jackson smirked and tilted his head, holding his chin as though he was giving serious consideration to how Derek looked.

“I don’t think the blueberry pie is your color,” he stated and stepped back, letting the others snap pictures of Derek.

“You will regret this,” Derek warned playfully and Jackson shrugged, as if asking: ‘what’s the worst you could do?’ Derek grinned. “I could tell them about a certain dream you had last night.”

Jackson’s eyes widened and all mirth dropped from his face. “Don’t. That’s not fair.”

Derek flicked his hands and the mess on him disappeared. Everyone found something to do, even Scott. They ran out of the dining room as Jackson and Derek gazed at each other. Showers were turned on and Jackson turned his back to Derek, heading for the basement. He had no idea why Derek had to ruin a good time.

_Jackson_ _._ The snow wolf paused and looked over his shoulder. He stared at Derek, looking into those battling eyes and found the urge to kiss the other shifter was nearly impossible to suppress. _I’m sorry._ Jackson shook his head and left the dining room. He went into the basement and picked up the book he was going through when lunch happened.

He sighed as he couldn’t focus on the words. He looked at his wrists, which Derek had held to keep him prisoner. He tried not to think about the dream that had come to him. Surrounded by Derek’s scent was the reason behind it, he was sure. He closed his eyes and let his forehead drop to the desk with a thud. He had been having sexual dreams about Derek on and off for the last three years.

A shiver ran down his spine and he raised his head. Now was not the time to be thinking about how good Derek had looked above him, sweating and panting, with his intense gaze. He scolded himself and pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. There was something out there murdering people and it was his job to find out what it was. He had no idea how successful he was going to be, considering there seemed to be _nothing_ out there on the creature, but he wouldn’t rest until he found it.

 

oOo

 

Jackson jolted awake when someone touched his shoulder. He pulled his head up and wiped the trail of drool that was falling from the corner of his mouth. He cleared his throat and gazed at Stiles. The human was trying to keep a straight face, but eventually lost whatever control he had. He laughed heartily as he gazed at Jackson.

The shifter frowned and wiped at his mouth. There was nothing there and he had no idea what had Stiles in a fit. He shrugged and sat back, waiting for the human to calm down. It happened, five minutes later. With a few deep breaths, Stiles told Jackson that dinner was ready and Jackson nodded, standing. He glanced at the book he had drooled on and decided to leave it open, hoping the pages would dry and not stick together.

They went upstairs, to the dining room. Everyone turned to stare at Jackson and he cocked an eyebrow. Malia finally told him that he had words on his cheeks and lips. Jackson closed his eyes and glared at Stiles, blaming the human entirely for it. Stiles just grinned and sat down, shrugging as Jackson excused himself. He went to a bathroom and saw that most of the words from the page were printed on his skin. It wouldn’t have been so bad, if he wasn’t so damn pale.

He washed his face and ran back to the dining room, sitting between Liam and Malia. He went for the vegetables when Malia mentioned that the venison was really good. He froze and stared at her as though she had grown a second head. He honestly thought that everyone in the house knew he was a vegetarian. She gazed right back, her eyes large and innocent. She had no idea.

Jackson cleared his throat and shook his head, thanking her for the information. Stiles explained that Jackson had been vegetarian for quite some time. Malia nodded slowly and apologized. Jackson smiled at her and thanked Stiles with a glance. _When did you go vegetarian?_ Derek inquired and Jackson kept his eyes on his place.

He ate slowly, trying to decide it would be best to lie or tell the truth. Derek would probably know if he was lying, especially now that his senses were even more heightened than they were as a werewolf. He decided the truth was always a good option. _When I woke up as a werewolf. I couldn’t handle the idea of being responsible for spilling more blood,_ he answered and frowned when he felt warmth wrap around him. Derek was really good at projecting. He also got the feeling that it was Derek’s way of apologizing for not noticing earlier. _Don’t apologize. You had no way of knowing._

_I was your alpha. I should have noticed the change in your diet. Why did you keep it a secret?_ Jackson chanced a glance at Derek. He had his eyes on his food, looking up at Scott every so often. Jackson finished his meal and stood, excusing himself and going back to the basement. _The topic of my diet never came up._ He moved the book he was sleeping on to the side.

Jackson touched the bruises on his throat. He was actually surprised that no one had mentioned them and slipped into their minds. All of them figured it was from rough sex with Derek. Jackson inhaled deeply, forcing back a scream of rage at the collective idea. By the time Stiles came downstairs, Jackson managed to get himself in a really foul mood, especially when Stiles noticed.

“Whoa. I think you need to get laid again, man,” the human muttered and sat down at his laptop.

Jackson appeared behind Stiles and slammed his forehead onto the computer and then returned to his chair. Stiles cried out and rubbed his head, looking around. He stared at Jackson. Upon feeling the eyes on him, Jackson turned around and gazed at Stiles with innocent and inquisitive eyes. The human shook his head and said he probably did himself without realizing it.

The front door opened and Jackson got to his feet, inhaling the reptilian scent of an old friend. A grin broke out of his face and he ran up to the front foyer. Vincent Aelioseus stood there, not looking happy about something. The dragon-shifter’s eyes dropped to the floor and Jackson followed his gaze. He didn’t see anything out of the ordinary upon first glance. When looked harder, his eyes widened and he stepped back, holding his hands up.

“I just got here yesterday,” he defended. “I always wipe my feet before I enter.”

Vincent smiled and ruffled Jackson’s hair. “I know. I housetrained you. The others, however, leave a lot to be desired.” He curled his tongue and whistled. Jackson winced at the pitch. It did the trick, though. Everyone massed in the front foyer. “What the fuck happened to my house?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments and the kudos! Totally loved waking up to that! I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter and the next one should be up shortly.  
> Until the next one, my lovelies!
> 
> Peace.  
> Auska.


	3. Chapter III

**~Breathing Angel Style~**

**By:** Aerys Krytie.

oOo

While the others scrubbed the hardwood floors with toothbrushes, Jackson sat in the kitchen with Vincent. He wasn’t sure how much Vincent knew about his past three years, but he wasn’t going to forward any information with the others in earshot. He wasn’t that stupid. He had been a werewolf for a few months and he knew what their hearing was like.

“What was it like teaching Derek?” Jackson asked as he ran a finger around the rim of his cup. He knew it was a stupid question, but he was genuinely curious.

“A lot easier than teaching you. He didn’t complain when I told him to stare a bowl of water for five hours.” Vincent smirked and sipped his tea, sitting back in his chair. He glanced at the floor. “You need to do the kitchen, as well,” he shouted at the others. His grin became evil when they groaned. He lost it and gazed at Jackson seriously. “When do you plan on telling Derek?”

Jackson lowered his eyes, gazing at his chamomile tea. “I don’t plan on doing it. I’m sure he moved on when I left and found someone he thought was good enough.” He shrugged. That subject was not a good one for him, especially not when the others were actively trying to pretend as though they weren’t listening. “Do you think I should tell him?”

Vincent leaned towards Jackson and touched the bruises on his throat. He sighed and pulled his hand back, finishing his tea. “You two are still denying the other. I’m almost tempted to lock the pair of you in a room until you fuck or make love or whatever you want to call it. At some point, I think you will need to tell him.”

 

Jackson shook his head. “We’re slowly getting there.” He tapped his index finger against his mug and frowned when he noticed the burn on it. He looked at the stick that was still stuck in the wall. “Do you know what could enchant a stick with a prayer to Gaia?”

Vincent frowned and followed Jackson’s gaze. He stood up and went over to the stick, sniffing along it and eventually pulling it out of the wall. “Were you poisoned by this?”

Jackson shook his head. “I was poisoned, but it was from a bite of someone that was poisoned by a stick.” He closed his eyes, realizing just how stupid that sounded. It wasn’t a dart; it was a stick. He opened his eyes, watching Vincent intently. “Why do you ask?”

“This is from a jarrah tree, which is fatal to wolf-shifters. Have there been any new shifters hanging around, with a scent that you didn’t recognize?”

“What’s a jarrah tree?” Vincent glared at him and Jackson sighed, closing his eyes and thinking back to the past few months before the attack. He and the pack were moving from place to place, but he couldn’t remember seeing anyone that wasn’t part of his pack. Then again, he was spending a lot of time trying to court Sierra. “Not that I can remember,” he finally admitted. “I was a little distracted at the time, though.”

“Trying so hard to forget about Derek Hale.” Vincent shook his head and dropped the stick on the table. He stared at it for a while, before his eyes finally returned to Jackson. “Jarrah is a type of eucalyptus tree native to Western Australia. I find it strange that a xylomancer wouldn’t be an Australian shifter of some kind.”

“A what?” Jackson and the others asked. Jackson glanced at the entrance to the kitchen and realized that the scrubbing sounds had stopped.

Vincent leaned back and growled at the wolves. They got back to scrubbing and Vincent returned his attention to Jackson. “A xylomancer is basically a hippy with magical powers. The prayer is a diversion. Underneath it you can see the Aborigine script that is the actual enchantment.”

Jackson sighed and closed his eyes. Of course, it would be on a wood that was fatal to wolf-shifters and he wouldn’t be able to touch it without causing serious harm to himself. He opened his eyes and gazed at Vincent, trying to understand what he was saying. He honestly had no idea how many different shifters there were. From what he saw in the warehouse last year, he could guess there were lions, bears, tigers, panthers, jaguars and he was almost certain there was an eagle in there.

However, he wasn’t that well versed on the animals of Australia. He knew they had kangaroos and koalas and that was about it. He also knew that nearly everything that lived on that rock could kill them. Oh yeah, he knew about the Sydney funnel web spider that could still kill an adult in twenty minutes. He shuddered at the thought of finding one of them randomly. He knew that was off topic, but just about everything on the land, in the sea and in the air was out to kill the people of Australia. He had no idea how they survived.

“I can bring in a friend to help out. He’s an Aussie and it might take a while to get used to him. He speaks in a lot of slang and is basically a bogan.” Vincent looked apologetic about and Jackson raised an eyebrow.

“What the hell is a bogan?”

Vincent pursed his lips and scratched his neck. Jackson knew he was seriously trying to find of explaining what a bogan was. “It’s – Well, it’s one of those things that makes sense when you see it. I guess the American equivalent would be hillbilly.”

Jackson’s eyes widened as he stared at Vincent. The dragon was deadly serious about the explanation. Jackson had no idea if he should laugh or cry. “You’re getting me an Australian hillbilly?” he repeated, still staring at Vincent and hoping for the dragon to laugh and say it was some kind of twisted joke. “Don’t the Australian hillbillies wrestle crocodiles? I’ve seen them, by the way. They put our alligators to shame.”

Vincent offered a smile, but his face fell. “Look, I’m going to give you three warnings when it comes to him. He’s a smoker. He’s a boozer. He will try to have sex with you if you stand still too long. He’s a great guy and shifter, but he has a few quirks that get old…really fast.”

“And you’re dumping him off with me and Scott’s pack? How the hell are we supposed to control someone like that? In case you haven’t noticed, most of us are still teenagers. Not in age, but mentality. Some of us are emotionally stunted. I speak mostly of Derek, who will probably try to kill this shifter if he so much as sneezes in his general direction.” Jackson shook his head and sighed. “When is he getting here?”

Vincent smiled apologetically. “He came in with me. I think he’s taking a piss outside. He did down twenty-four cans of beer.”

Jackson got to his feet and left through the backdoor, so he didn’t mess up the area that Scott and the others had cleaned. He went around to the front of the house and stared at the man was pissing onto a tree, a can of beer in his hand. The man looked over at Jackson and winked, downing the last of his beer. The can disappeared and the man shook back his sandy red hair, which shimmered blue and gold in the moonlight.

“Who are you?”

“Kalgoorlie,” the man answered and Jackson frowned. “Most people call me Kal, though.”

Jackson raised an eyebrow. “And you’re here to help us with the xylomancer?” He ran his eyes over the petite frame of the man. “You really don’t look like much.”

Kal finished the longest piss known to anyone and tucked himself away. He turned around, doing up the zipper on his jeans. “I just marked your territory. I also happen to be immune to eucalyptus. One of the many perks of being born in the shithole known as Western Australia.”

Jackson followed him to the front of the house, where he kicked off his shoes. He walked past the others as though they weren’t there and Jackson couldn’t believe his arrogance. Kal paused before disappearing into the kitchen and told the others they missed a spot by the stairs. Jackson walked around Scott and the pack, standing at the entrance to the kitchen.

“As flash as a rat with a good tooth,” Kal said as he washed his hands at the sink. He sat in a chair and picked up the stick. “Yeah, totally. The wolves are gonna have fun with this.” He spun it around on the table, gazing at Vincent. “I’mma be stuck with these yuppies, aren’t I?”

“That’s part of the price you pay for disobeying the Prince, Kal. You really should’ve just shouted.

Kal rearranged his junk and stood, heading for the basement. Jackson frowned and followed him, curious about this unknown shifter. Kal’s eyes were green, but Jackson knew he was using his magic to keep them that color. He went down to the basement, watching as Kal grabbed a book without needing a guide around the shelves. He turned to Jackson and grinned, running his eyes over him.

“You’re actually quite pretty, especially with that coloring. Pity you belong to the earth wolf that’s on his hands and knees, scrubbing a floor. How’d you manage to get out of it, princess?”

Jackson snarled at the nickname and advanced on the unknown. His eyes widened as Kal’s eyes flashed gold and sand wrapped around his throat, pulling him down to the ground. The unknown walked up to him and gazed down at him indifferently, his eyes swirling between blue and gold. Jackson clawed at the sand, trying to get it away from his throat.

“Look, I’m only gonna be around until you get rid of the xylomancer. Until then, I don’t give a damn what your names are. You’re prettier than the girls out there, so your name is Princess. I’m older and have more wisdom than you do, kid. You won’t win against me.”

Jackson gasped and nodded his understanding. The sand disappeared and he coughed, rolling to the side and looking up at Kal. “What are you?”

“I’m a shifter, mate. Where have you been?” Kal grinned and jogged upstairs.

Jackson stayed on the floor for a moment, catching his breath. He shook his head and decided it didn’t matter what animal Kal was, as long as he helped them as much as he could, everything should end well. He made his way upstairs, rubbing his throat. There were grains of sand embedded in his pores, which he was wiping off as he walked past Scott and the pack. They growled at him and Jackson paused, glancing back at them. He offered an apologetic smile, which didn’t go down well.

He sighed and went upstairs, shaking his head. He took his time in the shower, moaning softly as the hot water ran down his back and rinsed out the wound there. He raised his head, staring at the tiles in front of him. The xylomancer sounded entirely made up. To be honest, he never bothered to study the supernatural as he thought they were stories. He had heard of shape-shifters before, but he never thought he would become one. He had heard about werewolves, vampires, fairies, Santa Claus and the tooth fairy; elves, pixies and leprechauns. He had heard about a lot, but how many of them existed?

If Tsuki was a demon, were there angels? He turned off the shower before he used all the hot water, but he stayed in for a while. If griffons and dragons were a thing, what other mythical beasts were out there? Would they have to fight a Minotaur at some stage? He really hoped that they wouldn’t have. They needed to bring in help for a xylomancer, which was hunting him. Jackson frowned at the drain between his feet. What did he do in order to be hunted by that thing?

He got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around himself. He got to the stairs and rolled his eyes. He was a bloody wolf-shifter. He ran his hand over his shoulder and was dried and dressed. He went down stairs, knocking shoulders with Scott and ran into the kitchen. He stared at the table and all the beer cans that were on it, two high already. He glanced at Kal and decided that the Australian was worse than the Irish. He shook his head and decided to work on the alcoholic later.

“This xylomancer thing is hunting me. Why?”

“Cocky little shit, innit he?” Kal asked and drained another can of beer.

“Oh, drink yourself into a coma, you pathetic excuse for a shifter,” Jackson snapped and bit his tongue. He closed his eyes and pursed his lips. “Sorry. But I think you can understand. I’m being hunted by something that sounds completely made up. I honestly thought a xylomancer was… Actually, I don’t know what I thought.”

“I thought it was a necromancer that brought dead xylophones back to life,” Stiles called and Jackson choked back laughter. That made a lot sense, actually.

“Look, Princess ––”

“My name is Jackson.”

Kal glared at him. “Look, _Princess_ , what do hippies represent, aside from drugs, bad hygiene, terrible fashion sense and horrible haircuts?”

Jackson raised an eyebrow. He didn’t even think of half of those when he thought about hippies. “Aren’t they meant to be about love and peace, as well?”

“Yup.” Kal cracked another can and Jackson rolled his eyes. “What, did you need me to spell it out for you?” He turned his eyes to Vincent. “You told me they were young. You said nothing about them being as thick as six bricks. I want to be paid for this shit.”

Vincent let out a short whistle. The pack appeared in the kitchen. “You can go to bed. But I expect that floor spotless by tomorrow night. I had better be able to eat my dinner off it. Get.”

As the others trudged off upstairs, Jackson glanced at Kal when he shivered. “Are you seriously cold? It’s like seventy degrees tonight.”

“Yeah, that’s sixteen degrees lower than what I’m used to. I don’t know how you can complain about the heat. You wouldn’t survive a week in a West Australian winter. Okay, to be fair, not many West Aussies survive during the winter, either.” Kal shivered again.

“That – doesn’t even make any sense.” Jackson shook his head. “So, did you want to explain why I’m being hunted by this xylomancer?”

Kal said nothing as he grabbed Jackson’s hand and rubbed his thumb over the burn. Jackson tilted his head as the burn went up in purple smoke. He frowned and gazed at Kal. The unknown shifter’s eyes swirled between blue and gold, dancing with a smirk as he finished his beer and started on the third layer of cans on the table. Jackson shook his head and decided he wasn’t going to get any answers from. Kal didn’t seem ready to spell anything out and Vincent rarely gave out answers.

Jackson thanked him and headed upstairs. He waved a hand over his body, replacing his clothing with a pair of black boxers and crawled into bed. He glanced at his left hand, staring at the smooth skin. He was curious about Kal and what kind of shifter he was. Jackson had no idea what a kangaroo or koala smelled like, so he could only guess at what was living with them now. He closed his eyes, pushing it to the side and deciding to think about in the daylight.

 

oOo

 

With a moan, Jackson rolled over and nuzzled into the warm chest that was on offer. He smiled and was ready to fall asleep again, until he remembered that he had gone to be _alone_ last night. He opened his eyes and stared at Derek’s sleeping face. He heard Scott walk up to the door and bang on it, telling both of them to get up and get ready for breakfast.

Derek frowned slightly and opened his eyes. Jackson continued to stare at him, wanting to pull away. He blinked and looked around. He had gone to Derek’s bed again. He sighed and sat up, running his hands through his hair. He was almost certain he would have some kind of memory of wandering around in the night. He threw back the covers and went to the bathroom, emptying his bladder and turning on the shower. He knew it wouldn’t make any difference; everyone could smell Derek on him.

He showered quickly and dressed in his running gear. He ran downstairs and out the door, pausing to stretch. He heard Vincent shouting his name, but he ignored the dragon. He started on his course, pushing himself harder than he probably should. He was tired of not understanding what was happening to him. He lived in his body, for the love of god! He should know what it wanted.

It wanted Derek, which would explain why he kept sneaking into the earth wolf’s bed. Derek obviously wanted him there, as well. It was the only reason Jackson could think of as to why Derek never returned him to his own bed and why he allowed it to happen two nights in a row. He sighed and increased his pace, pushing those thoughts to the back of his head. Derek wanted nothing to do with him and only let Jackson stay in his bed so he could embarrass him about it.

He ran through the clearing that was usually his turn around point and continued further into the woods. He skidded to a stop when the scent of blood hit him. He frowned and followed his nose to the east. His eyes widened when he saw a body there. It was male and he recognized the method of death. While the throat had been ripped out, the veins were frozen. It was the same method he had used on the witch leader three years ago.

Swallowing, Jackson backed away from it, heart pounding in his chest. That was the second body to look as though it was mauled by an animal in as many days. He turned away from the body and ran back to the house, ignoring everyone that he passed. He raised his mental shields and locked his bedroom door, sitting in a corner and trying desperately to remember what he had done. It wasn’t like him to have blank spots in his memory. His subconscious picked up everything. It was the best perk of being a wolf-shifter.

He ignored Vincent pounding on his door and asked to be left alone. The dragon sighed and told him to eat something soon. Jackson agreed that he would, as he knew that would get Vincent to leave him alone. Scott said that he had been in the bed with him for an hour before he went to Derek’s room. Did he slip out the window of Derek’s room, before he crawled into bed with the shifter?

Jackson got to his feet and slipped out the window. He needed to talk to someone before anything bad happened again. He paused as he heard police sirens blaring near the body he found. He kept his heart calm and found Stiles sitting on the steps at the front. He was writing something in his bestiary and Jackson stood in front of him. The human looked up and raised an eyebrow.

“I need you to come with me. I need your help.”

Stiles frowned and closed the book. He stood and pulled out his car keys. “Where are we headed?”

“Do you know where Mark Doyle has set up his herb shop?” Jackson knew it was a stupid question, but he was hoping Stiles would think it had something to do with the xylomancer.

“Sure do. Did you find out something about the xylomancer?” Stiles asked as they headed towards his jeep.

Jackson kept his eyes lowered. “I figured there was no harm in talking to him about it. Maybe he’s come across something like it before. I mean, he did have a dullahan problem.”

Stiles unlocked the car and Jackson slipped into the passenger seat, buckling the seatbelt. “Yeah, I looked that up. It is basically a death fairy, but it’s a bringer of death. Did you know it’s impossible to kill something that brings death? I think Death is the only one that could do that. I get the feeling that Tsuki knows Death personally. How cool would it be to meet Death? Death!”

Jackson smiled and shook his head. He forgot how excited Stiles got about the smallest things. He wasn’t all that interested in meeting Death, since he would probably discover that his number was up. He settled back in the seat, half-listening to what Stiles was saying about a dullahan. He then moved onto complaining about how Tsuki didn’t give him any details about how to kill one.

Stiles then went on to say how he would love to spend a day inside of Tsuki’s mind and learn everything the demon knew about all the supernatural creatures out there. Jackson stared at the human as he ranted about how it was Tsuki that told them about the white ash of a maple could kill a doppelganger. It was strange to see Stiles so enamored by someone and the knowledge they held. Stiles was by no means stupid. He was their walking encyclopedia on how to kill anything that goes bump in the night.

Still, Jackson knew that Stiles would benefit a great deal from just an hour in Tsuki’s head. The internet didn’t hold much information when it came to some supernatural creatures and Tsuki had the advantage of going up against some of them, which was a good thing. He would know how to kill them, quickly and quietly as well. He was giving serious consideration in asking Tsuki to let Stiles into his head for a little bit. Though, Tsuki would probably have some repercussions for letting a human into his head. One of them would likely be that Stiles wouldn’t remember anything when he came back out. Until then, they would have to play nicely with others.

Mark’s shop was located near the center of the town. The shop had two bay windows on either side of the door, which had a brass bell attached to it. Stiles entered and called out there were paying customers. Jackson grinned and walked up and down the shelves, raising an eyebrow at the jars. The wall on the right was filled with self-serving bins that carried the most common spices one could find, as well as some that Jackson couldn’t even pronounce.

Mark came out from the back room and grinned at Jackson. “Never thought I’d see you again!”

Jackson shrugged. “Honestly didn’t think I’d be back,” he answered honestly, ignoring the shocked glare from Stiles. “What do you know about a xylomancer?”

Mark raised an eyebrow and the grin dropped from his face. “You’re joking, right? There’s one of those in town?” He shook his head and leaned on the counter. “They’re magical hippies and they’re usually drawn to serious unhappiness in someone’s love life. I can see that your mate still hasn’t claimed you.”

Jackson rolled his eyes. He was getting tired of that. “He’s not my mate. And how did you know?”

“You’re releasing that pheromone that attracts alphas. It will only stop when you’re claimed by someone. The same goes for him.” Mark inclined his head towards Stiles. “Both of you need to be claimed by someone that can protect you.”

Stiles blushed and decided to look at the items that were in jars on the counter. Jackson stared directly at Mark. “Right,” he drawled. “Anyway, how can we kill a xylomancer?”

“You don’t kill them. You just appease them and they move on.” Mark crouched down and stood up a moment later with a large tome in his hands. He dropped it on the counter and opened it, flipping through the pages that look a month away from crumbling at a touch. He stopped and turned the book around. “You need to let love into your life. I’m guessing that it’s targeting you and your not-mate.”

Jackson looked at the words. “This is in Gaelic. I can’t read that!”

Mark chuckled. “With that snappy response, I’d say I’m right about who is being targeted. What happened when the first attack came?”

Jackson lowered his eyes and clenched his jaw. He didn’t want to explain what happened in front of Stiles, as he knew the human would think him insane. He finally sighed and raised his head, glaring at Stiles. “You don’t repeat this to _anyone_. Not to Scott, Isaac, Malia, Liam – different Liam – Derek or Kal. _No one_ ,” he stressed and waited until Stiles nodded. “I was about to take a mate when the first attack came.”

Mark closed the book and pushed it to the side. “That would do it. You were so unhappy that you unwillingly summoned a xylomancer to make sure it didn’t happen.”

Jackson stared at Mark, mouth parted at the accusation he was the one to bring this about. He shook his head. No. He had been happy with Sierra. She was beautiful, intelligent and witty. She could dominate him and her scent was similar to Derek’s. He closed his eyes and sighed, unable to believe he just needed to tell Derek that he loved him and it would all end. He got the feeling that he was in a Disney movie, if Disney had a gay edition.

“You were about to take a mate? Someone would take you, even though you smell of Derek?” Stiles inquired quietly, trying to keep it a secret. “Are you insane? Do you have any idea how broody Derek got when you left, without a word to any of us, by the way? He nearly died as he _pined_ for you. He pined!”

Jackson flinched and lowered his eyes. He allowed Stiles to spin him around and punch him. Jackson rubbed his jaw, surprised at how much power Stiles had. He stared at the human. Stiles was breathing heavily and looked ready to deliver another punch when the bell on the door jingled. Instead, Stiles shook his head and walked to an aisle and glared at the jars on the shelves.

“That was kind of a dick move,” Mark said softly and glanced at the other customer. “Excuse me a moment. Can I help you with something, dear?”

The woman looked up and smiled. “I was looking for black cinnamon and blue ginger. I was told to come here for them.”

Mark stepped around the counter and helped the woman find what she was looking for. Jackson’s eyes flickered over to the book. He touched the leather cover and sighed, moving to the side when Mark and the woman came to the counter. He glanced at her and nodded when she beamed at him. She paid and left. Mark repeated his previous statement about Jackson making a dick move.

“Too late to apologize for it now,” Jackson muttered and glanced over his shoulder. Stiles hadn’t heard and was still looking at the jars. “I need to know if you have silver handcuffs etched with Corinthian spells.”

Mark frowned and leaned forward, lowering his voice. “That’s oddly specific, especially for the spell work. Why Corinthian spells?”

“I know they work. Do you have them or not?”

“Silver handcuffs are hard to come by. I think I know someone that can do custom orders. She happens to be a Wiccan as well, so I’m sure she can find someone to do the spells. There’s a preorder fee of fifty bucks.”

Jackson produced a credit card and paid for the cuffs. He thanked Mark and left the store, assuming that he wasn’t welcomed into Stiles’ jeep ever again. That thought changed when the human ran after him, slammed a hand on his shoulder and dragged him back to the car. Jackson slipped into the passenger seat and stared out the window as they made their way back to the house.

The drive took longer. Jackson finally sighed and glared at Stiles. “Look, he’s the one that kept saying we weren’t mates. Why is everyone pissed off at me for moving on?”

Stiles didn’t answer until they were in the woods. He stopped the car and looked at Jackson. “We’re more pissed off that you left without saying a thing to us. You literally just ran off. You didn’t howl that you were joining a pack of wolf-shifters and none of us heard so much as a growl from you in three years.” He shook his head. “Derek had only just accepted the fact that you weren’t coming back when you came back. Literally the night before, he decided he could live without you in his life. He’s going to be _livid_ when he finds out that you wanted to mate with someone else.”

Jackson tilted his head back, forcing back tears. “Why does everyone take his side? No one seems to give a shit that he abandoned me emotionally when I needed him the most.”

“There was no excuse for that, I agree. But he was turning into a wolf-shifter when you left. He could have used your support for that.” Stiles flinched at the glare Jackson sent his way.

“ _I_ was also alone when I became a wolf-shifter.” Jackson closed his eyes and swallowed his anger and bitterness, locking it away. “Don’t tell him that I was going to mate with someone else. He needs to hear it from me. It won’t make it hurt any less, but it is still better that he hears it from me.”

“When do you plan on telling him? You can’t keep something like this from him, y’know.”

“I’m aware. There’s something else I need to worry about for the moment. Telling him about my mate won’t do anything to appease the xylomancer.” Jackson looked out the window. “I am sorry that I left without saying anything. I really didn’t think there was anything left for me here.”

Jackson could sense the hurt from Stiles. “ _We_ were here. We lost Erica and Boyd and then we lost you. We knew you were running from something.” A hand was placed on Jackson’s shoulder. “What were you running from, Jackson?”

Swallowing his sorrow and pain, Jackson shrugged. “Can’t say I really remember. It was three years ago, after all.” He wasn’t about to admit that he was running from a mate that didn’t want him. That would just make him look like the bad guy again.

Stiles pulled his hand back and nodded. He put the jeep into gear and headed back to the house. Jackson stayed outside, walking around the front yard. He saw his blood from the fight he had with Derek. His eyes were drawn to movement in the trees. He frowned and moved towards it, trying to figure out what had moved. He got to the general area and looked around.

“Are you looking for something?” Scott asked as he stood beside a tree behind Jackson. The shifter shook his head. “Why are you out here, then?” Jackson shrugged and he could hear Scott frown. “Kal has left. Said he wasn’t needed anymore, unless you or Derek is attacked by the eucalyptus stick.”

Jackson nodded. “Thanks,” he said quietly, still scanning the trees.

“What’s wrong, man?” Scott asked as he turned Jackson around. “Stiles wasn’t in the best of moods when he came back, either. Did something happen? Where you did you even go?”

Jackson blinked and shook his head. “We visited Mark Doyle to see if he knew anything about the xylomancer. He told us what needed to be done. I figured that Kal would hang around until we appeased the hippy, but he clearly has more faith in us than I do.”

Scott studied Jackson’s eyes and the shifter quickly looked down. He didn’t need the alpha seeing that something was wrong with him. That would mean more questions and Jackson was ready to reveal any more of his past. He knew he could trust Stiles not to say anything, but that same courteously couldn’t be extended to Scott, as he would use it as a means to claim the shifter that was secreting a damn pheromone.

Jackson could already feel his body reacting to Scott and he stepped back. He headed for the house and climbed up to his window. He slipped inside and realized that he had gone out in his running gear. He changed it to jeans and a hoodie and left his room. He went down to the basement where Derek’s scent led him. He paused when he saw that Isaac was down there, as well. The werewolf grinned and waved. Jackson offered him a mirthless smile and took his place at the desk he had claimed.

Isaac tried talking to him, but Jackson just shook his head. He wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone that wasn’t Derek. Even then, he was forcing himself to do it. He had no idea how Derek was going to react to what Mark said, if he even believed it. Derek wasn’t known for his trusting nature, which Jackson had probably broken even more when he left. Isaac finally got the vibe that he wasn’t wanted and slinked out of the basement, closing the door.

Jackson stood and turned to Derek, raising his eyes slowly. Derek frowned and stood. “So what did you learn that has you locking away your emotions again?”

“I was told that we have to let love into our life.” He sighed and rested against the desk, shoulders slumping. “I was also the one that summoned it,” he admitted, rubbing his arms.

“How did you do that?”

“I was unhappy with my love life and the xylomancer picked up on that. It wiped out my pack and forced me back to the one place where I was happy.” Jackson raised an eyebrow. That was actually a really good reason for a xylomancer to be around. He felt the shell around his emotions crack and disappear. He raised his head and smiled sadly at Derek. “Unfortunately, it sent me back to the one person that doesn’t want me.”

“I never said that, Jackson. You _vanished_ while my body was undergoing the change. You said nothing to anyone when you took off. You didn’t even send us a text or an email to let us know that you’re okay.”

“Do you even know how to use email?”

Derek rolled his eyes. “Not the point, Jackson. You abandoned us. You abandoned _me_.” He advanced three steps and Jackson tried to move through the desk.

“I’m not your mate, remember?” Jackson shot back defensively, glaring at Derek.

“I’m your alpha! You don’t leave your alpha for another.”

“Isn’t that what Isaac did?”

“Isaac needed a werewolf alpha. He got that in Scott.” Derek invaded Jackson’s personal space and raised his hand to his head. Jackson flinched away from the touch. That didn’t deter Derek. He placed his hand on Jackson’s head and pulled it against his chest. “You wear my claim like a mark. I know you can heal those scars, but you don’t want to. You want everyone to know who you belong to.”

Jackson breathed heavily. Derek pushed his head back and Jackson glared at him. “I have always and will continue to want to be your mate! _You’re_ the one that keeps denying it and then you act like it’s my fault!” He angrily wiped at his eyes, really wishing that he could stop crying over the little things in life.

Derek stepped back, gazing at Jackson with indifference. That stung. “For someone that wants to be my mate, you have a strange way of showing it. You left me and then you come back. You crawl into my bed, stinking of blood and try to tell me that you’re a vegetarian.”

Fear shot through Jackson. He stopped breathing as his body trembled at the revelation that he was responsible for the deaths. He heard Derek saying his name, but he collapsed to the floor, curling into himself. He watched as Derek’s feet were pushed to the side and someone crouched in front of him. He looked up at Vincent and saw the concern deep in the dragon’s eyes.

Jackson wrapped his arms around Vincent’s neck. He couldn’t bring himself to cry, but he couldn’t fight off the terror that had him shaking like a leaf in the dragon’s arms. He raised his eyes to Derek’s and saw how the earth wolf stared at him. Jackson swallowed and he closed his eyes, accepting the comfort from Vincent as he was picked up and taken to his bedroom. He knew that Derek was following them, wanting to know what was happening.

“What did I do to them?” he whispered as Vincent sat on the bed and held him close. “Have I become the kanima, again?”

Vincent stroked his hair and kissed the side of his head. “No, you’re not the kanima again. But you weren’t in control when you murdered them.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Happy Valentine's Day and I hope you all enjoyed it! (I know I did. If you haven't seen Deadpool, go out and see it right now!) So I figured I would update on the V-Day, just to let my fans know that I love all of you! <3  
> Thanks for the comments and the kudos and I hope to see more in the future.   
> Until the next one, my lovelies!  
> Peace.
> 
> Auska.


	4. Chapter IV

**~Breathing Angel Style~**

**By:** Aerys Krystie.

oOo

Derek stared at Vincent, his eyes flicking to Jackson. The snow wolf looked away from him, burying his face into Vincent’s neck. Shame. That’s all he could smell on Jackson. He was ashamed of what he had done and he didn’t want anyone looking at him. He couldn’t stop staring at Jackson, trying to understand what had happened. He figured that Jackson would have complete control over his wolf and his subconscious.

“Going for a shower.”

Jackson stood and disappeared into the bathroom. The door closed and locked, leaving Derek to stare it and fight back every urge to break it down and hold Jackson until he felt loved. The last time he smelled that deep-seated hatred and loathing was when Jackson was the kanima. Now he believed he had turned into something similar and Derek couldn’t have that.

Derek went to the bathroom door and rested his forehead against it. He could hear the water running and that Jackson was under it, but that was it. He glanced at the handle and the lock clicked. It was faster than going to his room and through his door to the bathroom. He pulled back the curtain on the shower and saw Jackson sitting under it, still clothed and staring at nothing.

The ice cold water wasn’t a problem for the snow wolf. He turned his head away from Derek when he sat on lip. They sat there for a while. Derek couldn’t take his eyes off of Jackson as he stared at the wall beside him. He seemed to shrink under the gaze and Derek exhaled, turning off the water. Jackson jerked, as though the hand was moving towards him.

“Jackson, you heard what Vincent said. You weren’t in control when… _it_ happened,” Derek said softly, hoping to sooth the shifter’s damaged psyche.

Jackson jumped to his feet and glared down at Derek. The earth wolf blinked and slowly got to his feet. He couldn’t remember the last time he saw such hatred and rage in Jackson’s eyes. It looked unnatural against the blue and silver. However, Derek was happy that Jackson was looking at him again, even if he was seconds from freezing him.

“That’s just fucking _perfect_!” he shouted as he stormed past Derek and sloshed into his room. “Hey, don’t worry about it! You weren’t in control. It wasn’t your fault. You didn’t know what you were doing. It was all Matt’s or Gerard’s fault! You’re too pathetic to think for yourself, anyway!”

Derek stepped back as ice surrounded Jackson on the floor. His eyes returned to Jackson’s. They were swirling between the two colors faster than Derek thought was possible. “Jackson, I didn’t mean that you couldn’t ––”

Jackson yelled, ice shooting from his hands. He took out a window and destroyed a wall. “Do you have _any_ idea what it’s like to be someone’s fucking _puppet_? You were used to get to your family. You didn’t actually do it yourself!”

Derek shivered as a snow storm gathered in the room. The door to the room started to open, until it was busted off its hinges and whoever was behind it was taken over the banister. There was a groan from downstairs that sounded like Scott. Derek winced as the snow made small slices on his body. He didn’t care what Jackson did to him, he wasn’t going to leave the boy alone.

“ _I_ was the one that took their life!”

“Jackson, stop using your magic. You haven’t eaten today,” Derek begged, gritting his teeth as an icicle pierced his right shoulder.

“What have I got left to live for? You don’t care about me and the pack _hates_ me!”

“They don’t hate you and I _do_ care about you!” The snow fell harder and Derek realized he couldn’t see Jackson through it. He tried to move through, but the wind was pushing him back. “Jackson!” he called and found that his voice was lost in the hurricane level winds that were happening in the room. “I haven’t left you!”

“You will.”

Derek’s eyes widened. The voice sounded so defeated. Growling, Derek pushed his way through the wind and saw that all nearly all color had left Jackson’s skin. He was trembling as he fought to keep up the snow storm without the energy to draw from. He placed a hand on an icy shoulder and fought the urge to recoil from it, especially when ice started to form on his fingers and creep onto his hand. Jackson glared at him with sterling silver eyes.

His spare hand moved to Jackson’s neck. “I won’t lose you again,” he stated and grew his claws, digging them into the scars that were on Jackson’s neck.

Jackson screamed and fell to his knees. The storm stopped and Derek retracted his claws, falling down with Jackson and staring at him. The blue slowly started to return to the silver eyes and Derek exhaled, sitting back and closing his eyes. The ice that blocked the door cracked and then shattered. Scott and Isaac ran into the room, gazing at the pair and clearly trying to understand what just happened.

Derek sighed and opened his eyes, just as Jackson passed out. Derek shook his head and picked him, taking him to the bed. He didn’t bother to move the snow. The clothing Jackson wore was frozen, but despite being cold blooded, the cold wasn’t a real problem for snow wolves. Derek nodded towards the door. Scott and Isaac left after hesitating for a moment. Derek followed them, glancing back at Jackson’s pale face. He doubted if any pigmentation would return after using that much energy.

Once in the kitchen, Derek turned on the hot water tap at the sink and waited for it to heat up. He ran his fingers under it, clenching his jaw as it burned. Never once did it occur to him what kind of pain it would cause Jackson to constantly deny him. Jackson never mentioned anything about being his mate and Derek just assumed he was beneath Jackson’s ridiculously high standards. He closed his eyes, leaning against the counter. He pulled his fingers back and turned off the tap.

Seeing Scott with Jackson was wrong, in so many ways. He would be damned if he was going to lose the snow wolf to Scott. Still, he knew what Jackson had done while he was away. He knew that he tried to mate someone else, despite fighting instinct to run back to Beacon Hills and return to him. Derek had felt it as strongly as if he was the one doing it. He wanted to hunt down Jackson and claim him, in front of the wolf he wanted to mate.

That didn’t matter anymore. Jackson was finally back home, but Derek had the fear that he was going to wake up one morning and discover he was gone. His logic kept telling him to kick Jackson out of his bed when he slipped under the covers. His wolf demanded he claim the boy while he was unconscious, to make sure he never forgot who he belonged to. Derek wanted to get over the pain that Jackson had caused him, but knew that if he took too long, Jackson would leave. He was an impatient werewolf and he was even worse as a wolf-shifter.

Vincent came into the kitchen and stared at him with hard eyes. Derek looked away from him. He could never read the dragon’s mind, but he got the feeling that Vincent was going to rip into him for letting Jackson go in the first place. It wasn’t like he had a choice in the matter. Jackson left while his body was undergoing the change. He couldn’t stop himself from pissing his pants; let alone running down a wolf-shifter that wanted to get away.

Derek rested against the sink, crossing his legs at the ankles. With a deep breath, he raised his eyes to Vincent. “Do you have something to say?”

“You’re a fucking idiot.”

Derek blinked when Vincent walked out of the room. He had no idea what the dragon was referring to, so he chased him down and found him on the front porch, lighting a cigarette. He stood upwind from the dragon and stared at him, waiting for an explanation for the insult. He hadn’t done anything stupid recently. At least, nothing that he could remember. He was almost certain that he hadn’t gotten drunk.

“And why am I an idiot?”

“You’re hurt that he found someone he wanted to mate,” Vincent answered with a shrug, exhaling smoke through his nose.

Derek frowned. How could he not be hurt about that? He knew that Jackson was his mate and he was Jackson’s mate. There was no way around it. They would never find anyone else that could fulfill them in a way that left them stupidly happy. He was more hurt about the fact that he let Jackson get away. Though, to be fair, what they had to deal with didn’t really leave much time for the mating process to happen.

For the last three years, he had the entire pack telling him that Jackson would return. For three years, Derek had been stupidly hopeful. He had tried to sate his needs with others, but none of them felt as good as Jackson. He had tested their link and found that it was still there. It was weak, since Jackson wasn’t near him, but it was still there.

“He tried to reject me as his mate, despite knowing it wouldn’t work. I think I have every right to be hurt about that,” Derek snapped and glanced up at the porch ceiling.

“What did you think was going to happen when you kept denying the fact? Just because you weren’t ready to have him by your side didn’t give you the right to not tell him. If you had explained that to him, he would have stayed and waited for you.” Vincent shook his head and crushed out the smoke in an ashtray.

Derek lowered his eyes, thinking about the times that Tsuki told him to be there when Jackson woke or he would lose him. He had lost him. For three years, he lost Jackson. Then he came back and the others tried to accept him back, but Derek could sense how guarded they were around him. They were waiting for him to leave again and so was Derek.

Knowing that he had murdered people in the town again, Jackson would probably run away since Derek didn’t allow him to die. He wasn’t going to allow that, though. Jackson had submitted to him and it was now Derek’s time to show Jackson what happened when he accepted and submitted to him. He would be damned if anything bad was going to happen to his mate again.

He glanced at Vincent and nodded. He went back inside and up to Jackson’s room, watching as he shivered for a moment. He removed the frozen clothing and stripped out of his shirt. Lying behind Jackson, he pulled the cold body against his and closed his eyes, inhaling the fresh scent that was around Jackson. It was exactly like freshly fallen snow with a hint of rose.

The shivering eventually subsided and Derek kissed a bare shoulder. He held onto Jackson tighter and closed his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, knowing that Jackson’s subconscious would hear him. “I never meant to hurt you like that.” A gentle moan left Jackson as he rolled over and pressed against him more. “I promise I can be a better mate if you accept me.”

Jackson’s eyes fluttered open, gazing at Derek with blank swirling eyes. “Derek,” he murmured and pressed into him more. “Go to sleep.”

Derek didn’t have a chance to say anything as Jackson was asleep instantly. The exhaustion, magic use and lack of food weren’t a good combination. Derek knew exactly how it felt to do that. He kissed the top of Jackson’s head and closed his eyes, falling into a peaceful slumber. He didn’t know until recently how good it felt to have his mate so close.

 

oOo

 

When Derek woke, his arms were occupied by a pillow. The snow and ice were gone and Jackson was nowhere to be found. Derek sat up and looked around the room. All the damage had been repaired and the door was closed. He got to his feet and headed downstairs. It was the middle of the night and he could hear Jackson talking softly with Vincent. He stopped just outside the entrance and listened as Jackson apologized to Vincent for his breakdown.

Vincent told Jackson that he should be apologizing to Derek, as he was the one to bear the full brunt of it. Derek entered the kitchen and Jackson stared at him with wide, worried eyes. He was happy to see that they were swirling between blue and silver. Several dirty plates were in front of him. There was a large slice of chocolate cake with whipped cream waiting to be eaten.

Derek stood beside Jackson, stroking his hair gently. Vincent said that he needed to kill a cow and left the kitchen. Derek frowned and watched as he left. He shook his head and turned his attention back to Jackson. The snow wolf ate a mouthful of the cake, keeping his eyes on it as he moved the cream around and tried to find the right words. He turned Jackson’s head towards him and gazed at the dark circles under his eyes.

“You shouldn’t be awake right now, Jackson,” he said softly, noticing the fear in his eyes as his thumb ran along his cheekbone.

“I’m sorry,” Jackson whispered and stood, wrapping his arms around Derek’s neck. Derek ran his hands down Jackson’s back, resting them on his hips. “I’m sorry for leaving. I’m sorry for everything I did to you. I know it hurt.”

Derek could hear the tears in Jackson’s voice, but knew he wouldn’t cry. He was so used to hiding his emotions and putting on an act for what he thought people wanted. Yet Derek couldn’t deny that Jackson was entirely sincere at that moment. He closed his eyes and nuzzled the side of Jackson’s head. He opened his eyes and pulled back. Jackson lowered his arms and kept his eyes downcast.

Jackson waved his hand over the table and the plates disappeared. He stepped around Derek and left the kitchen. Derek let him go, unsure of what to actually do. His wolf was growling at him to follow, hug and kiss until his mate was happy. Derek gave in and followed Jackson up the stairs and to his bedroom. He watched as the snow wolf rearranged the pillows and removed his hoodie. The wounds on his neck from the claws were healed and had scarred again.

Derek watched as Jackson nestled into the mass of pillows. The glowing eyes of the snow wolf looked at him, practically begging him to get in the bed. Derek forced his body to move slowly, waving a hand over his body and changing his jeans into a pair of boxer briefs. He got under the covers, frowning as the pillows were surprisingly comfortable. He stroked Jackson’s hair, gazing into those swirling eyes that were so beautiful when they were soft with sleep and there wasn’t a hint of fear in them. He was comfortable and content.

Jackson’s eyes dropped to his mouth for a moment, before he raised them and half-smiled almost shyly. He closed his eyes, tilting his head up into the hand that was still stroking him. Derek moved closer, running the hand down Jackson’s bare arm, gently moving it to the side. He removed the gauze that covered the bite mark on his ribs. He ran his fingers over the stitches, watching them disappear. He looked at the slumbering face of his mate.

Derek often forgot how young Jackson was or the fact that he would never age past seventeen, unless he used his magic to make himself look older. Jackson was beautiful when he was awake, but when his face was soft with sleep, he was breathtaking. His lips were parted slightly and there was a vague smile on them whenever Derek touched him. He ran the back of his fingers down Jackson’s cheek and his eyes opened.

“If you’re going to worship me, could you do it while I’m awake?”

Derek gently rolled Jackson onto his back. He moved on top and looked at the throat that was still bruised from days ago. God damn did it look beautiful on his pale skin. He lowered his eyes to the boy’s chest and decided he could gain a little more weight. He ran his fingers down the center of his torso slowly, watching the way Jackson arched his body to the touch, exposing more of his throat without realizing it.

“Derek,” he whispered and Derek inhaled, catching the pheromone.

Ignoring the intoxicating scent that surrounded the snow wolf, Derek pulled back and sighed. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t bring himself to trust Jackson. Not right now. He rolled to the side and stared at the ceiling. He would stay with Jackson, just to make sure he didn’t run off and murder someone else that night.

Jackson turned onto his side, his back facing Derek. It wasn’t anything less than he was expecting. Derek glanced at him. “Jackson,” he called softly. Jackson looked over his shoulder. “I can’t reject you, but I don’t want you submitting yourself to Scott. You _are_ mine. Even if I can’t trust you.”

A flinch was his answer. Jackson settled down and pulled the covers up, blocking off Derek entirely. Derek sighed and felt the tug of slumber. Before he was even aware of it, he was out to the world and he didn’t notice Jackson sitting up, slipping out of the bed and then out the window. He didn’t notice  when Jackson returned three hours later, showered and crawled back into bed.

 

oOo

 

Jackson woke slowly and opened his eyes. He could feel Derek’s stubble against his ear and cheek and realized he was sleeping on top of the earth wolf. Derek’s left hand was on his lower back, while the other held his hand tightly. Jackson raised his head and tilted it, gazing at Derek’s sleeping face. He ran his fingertips from the temple down to his jaw. He frowned when there wasn’t a flicker across Derek’s face at being touched.

“Derek?” He gently shook the other’s shoulders. “Derek.” The shaking became more violent. “Derek!” He slapped the earth wolf and Derek’s eyes flew open. Jackson found himself pinned on his back, angry swirling blue-green eyes glaring at him.

Derek blinked and went to pull back. He thought better of it and sniffed along Jackson’s clavicle. He seemed happy that there wasn’t the scent of blood and pulled away. He got out of the bed, stretching his back and wandering into the bathroom. Jackson watched him go with an arched brow. Derek was more wolfish when he woke up than any other time.

Jackson headed out of the bedroom, scratching his lower back. He didn’t care that he wasn’t dressed. He never got dressed until after he had a shower, which would be after he got back from his morning run. He found Scott in the kitchen, a cup of coffee in his hand and the newspaper in front of him. Jackson glanced at the front page, seeing that there was another murder. He felt better about this one. Derek had been with him the entire night. He would’ve noticed if Jackson left the bed.

Scott glanced up with a smile, which slowly turned into a smirk as he looked Jackson over. “Good morning, Jackson,” he said quietly.

Jackson looked over at him and winked, making a cup of peppermint tea. He waved his hand over the table and a tray of bagels appeared. He sat opposite Scott, grabbing a poppy seed bagel and cutting it in half, smearing cream cheese on it. A gust of wind rattled the panes of glass and Vincent entered from the backdoor a few moments later.

“Good morning,” Vincent greeted as he sat beside Jackson and took the newspaper from Scott. The alpha growled and Vincent glanced at him. Scott pursed his lips and lowered his eyes to the coffee in front of him. “That’s a good boy. Derek learned not to fuck with me the easy way. I suggest you realize now that I’m more powerful and I don’t care about you.”

“Well, it’s nice to know that your manners haven’t gotten any better since we last saw you.”

“I own the house. Don’t forget that. I can and will have Sheriff Stilinski evict you without a moment’s hesitation.” Vincent didn’t look up this time. He read the front page news about the murder and then glanced at Jackson quickly.

Jackson shrugged and mentally told Vincent that Derek was with him all night. Derek had taken in his scent five minutes ago and didn’t seem to think he had murdered anyone. Jackson didn’t feel like such a puppet anymore. He finished his bagel and changed his clothes to his running gear. He headed out, stretched and went on his usual course. There was mist in the woods, which made Jackson grin and roll his shoulders. It was mysterious.

He was half-way through his run when he heard a wolf howl. He froze and turned a slow circle, trying to pinpoint the location. It sounded again and echoed around him. He knew that howl and he knew it was impossible. He waited for it happen again, but when silence greeted him for the next five minutes, Jackson shrugged and carried on with his run.

In the clearing, he came to a sudden stop and fell backwards. His eyes were wide as he stared at the animal carcasses that were clearly on display. They had been shredded and nothing was missing from them. They were slaughtered for sport and it looked like someone had taken the time to play with the guts. He got to his feet and backed away from the ghastly sight, feeling sick.

“Hey,” Isaac said as Jackson backed into him. “Oh god.” He took a step towards the bodies and pulled a face of sheer disgust. He went back to Jackson and took his hand, tugging him towards the house. “Come on. We should get out of here.”

Jackson felt numb. He had seen a doe and her faun in the mix. He didn’t even remember running back to the house, until he was caught around the waist by Scott. The alpha was demanding to know what happened and Jackson sank to his knees, allowing Scott to hold him and pet his hair. Isaac explained what they found in the clearing and Jackson winced.

Derek took Jackson from Scott, leading the stumbling snow wolf into the house and to the kitchen. He placed a glass in front of Jackson and told him to down all of it. With a deep breath, Jackson down the shot of whiskey and wrinkled his nose. Derek couldn’t have conjured something better than that? He placed the glass on the table and ran his hands through his hair.

“You didn’t do that, Jackson.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Jackson said. He closed his eyes and felt a tear escape each eye. He opened them and wiped the tears away. “I’m sorry. It’s gotten worse since I became a shifter.”

“That’s because as a shifter, you’re more connected to nature,” Stiles said as he entered the kitchen. “I thought you would’ve known that.” He placed on Jackson’s shoulder and squeezed. “You okay, man?”

_No._ “Yeah, I’m fine. You worry too much, Stilinski.” Jackson smirked at him. He could feel Derek’s eyes boring into him and refused to look at the other shifter. He also noticed that Stiles didn’t look that convinced, either. “I’m fine,” he said with a little more conviction.

Stiles smiled and released his shoulder. Jackson stood and went upstairs, answering his phone when it rang. Mark told him that the cuffs he wanted were in and Jackson heaved a sigh. He thanked the alpha and hung up, showering quickly. He wasn’t sure if Derek would stay with him every night until they figured out what was happening to him. He jogged downstairs and grabbed a glass of orange juice.

Malia was teasing Stiles about something, while Liam laughed. Derek was reading the paper. He looked up when Jackson entered. He could see the distrust in Derek’s eyes as he finished reading the murder story. Jackson frowned and lowered his eyes, drinking his juice in silence. He waited until Stiles had finished his breakfast and asked for a lift into town.

Before Stiles could answer, Derek said he needed to visit Mark’s shop and grab some things. Jackson nodded stiffly and followed the earth wolf as he grabbed his leather jacket and headed out. Malia called out for them to enjoy their date and Jackson shook his head as he went down the steps, following Derek to his car, surprised he still had the Camaro. He slipped into the passenger seat, buckling his seatbelt.

He stared out the window as Derek tore out of the woods and wondered how in the hell Derek got his license. When Derek hit civilization, he slowed to the speed limit and Jackson asked where the body was found. Derek told it was found on the lacrosse field at the school and Jackson ran his tongue over his teeth, eyebrows drawing together in thought.

The first body was the owner of Jackson’s old house. The second body was found just past the clearing in the woods. The third body was found on the lacrosse field at school. At least two of those places had sentimental value to him. Why was the second body dumped in the woods, though? He thought about the location of the second body and realized it was where he first met Mark, when he discovered he had telepathy.

“You are aware that you don’t have to keep everything you think to yourself, right?” Derek asked as he stopped at a red light.

“I don’t share my thoughts with those that don’t trust me.”

Jackson felt Derek got still beside him, but he refused to look at the other. Derek had verbally claimed him and now Jackson got to wait until Derek was ready to trust him again. Meanwhile, he could be with an alpha that did trust him. Since Derek had stated it out loud, his scent had strengthened to the point that even Jackson could smell it on himself. He couldn’t be with another sexually even if he wanted to.

“Maybe if you spoke about what was bothering you, instead of trying to take on the damn world by yourself, I might not have trust issues with you,” Derek stated as he sped through the intersection when the light turned green. “I’m not the only one here with trust issues.”

“I asked Mark to get in a pair of silver handcuffs with Corinthian spell work to keep me locked to my bed. I think – I think I was the one that murdered those animals and the person on the lacrosse field.” Jackson lowered his eyes to his hands in his lap.

Derek parked behind the shop and turned off the car. He turned to Jackson. “If there’s one thing I do know about you, it’s that you wouldn’t kill for the fun of it. I don’t know who would do this to you, but you didn’t kill those people or those animals.”

Jackson raised his head, gazing out the windshield. “Guns don’t kill people, bullets do. I’m the bullet, Derek and I don’t know if I can handle that.”

“You won’t have to handle it alone, _mikros_.” Derek ruffled Jackson’s hair, smirking at the glare, both from the nickname and from messing up his perfect hair.

“I never said anything about being alone, _vrómiko géros_ ,” Jackson said with a cocky grin.

“That one was below the belt.” Derek took hold of Jackson’s jaw and stared into his eyes. “I will find whoever is doing this to you and I will kill them, _sýntrofos_.”

Jackson’s lips parted slightly when Derek’s thumb ran along his lower lip. He pulled back and nodded, not wanting to have his hopes destroyed again. He knew Derek would make a move when he was ready, but it was pure torture waiting until then. He undid the seatbelt and got out of the car. He joined Derek, tensing slightly when the earth world placed an arm around his shoulders.

They entered the shop and Mark came out from the back, cocking an eyebrow at them. “Well, it’s about bloody time!” He pulled party popper from his pocket and pulled the string. “You two are finally mated! I honestly thought I’d never see the day. Liam’s brother, I owe ya two hundred quid!”

Jackson rolled his eyes. He found it strange that an alpha that he barely knew was keeping track of how long it took. Mark was going to be sorely disappointed when he realized that it was only a verbal claim he could smell. It seemed to sink in with the alpha as he shook his head and scooped the streamers off the counter. He placed an oak box on it and opened it.

The handcuffs were standard, but the scrolling Corinthian spell work was beautiful. Jackson picked them up, grinning when he felt the magic soar through his body. They were perfect and he really wanted to pay a decent commission to the witch that did the spell. He placed them in the box and paid for them. He glanced at Derek, asking him what he needed to get and Derek said he lied. He wanted to be the one with Jackson on a trip to Mark’s herb shop.

“I hear there’s a wolf that’s been murdering people in the town. An abnormally large white wolf.”

Jackson lowered his eyes, but Derek growled at the werewolf. Mark held his hands up, saying he was only relaying information he had heard from the police scanner and what his customers have gossiped about. Jackson frowned and looked up. Why would his customers be talking about that?

“How many customers have mentioned the wolf?” he asked and Derek’s head snapped to him. “What? I am intelligent, remember?”

“Two – man and a woman. They came in at different times and the woman was definitely a shifter. I think she was a wolf, but she never told me. She would only speak to me via her telepathy. When I asked her about it, she said she didn’t want anyone to overhear out conversation.” Mark shrugged. “The bloke was a regular human. No idea how he knew about it.”

“When did they come by?” Jackson inquired as Derek’s hand moved from his shoulder to his neck. The fingers caressed the scars.

“The woman came by yesterday and the man was in the day before. The woman bought African dream root.” Mark narrowed his eyes when he saw the question form in Jackson’s mind. “I don’t ask my customers why they buy what they do. That would be bad for business and it could end with me dying suddenly.”

“What did they man buy, then?”

“No idea. I didn’t take any notice of him. He was very plain looking, even for a human. I noticed the woman because of her eyes. They were a really pretty shade of purple. I almost thought they were contact lenses, until I caught her scent and realized she was a shifter.”

Jackson lowered his eyes for a moment. He didn’t want to ask the next question, but he had to know if it was the same shifter he was thinking of. “Was her hair black with a purple tint?”

Mark frowned. “Yeah, it was. It was down to her arse, as well.” He raised an eyebrow. “How did you know that?”

“Because I know her,” Jackson answered and grabbed the box. “Thanks for the cuffs. Make sure the witch that did the spell gets a decent commission.”

He left the store, heading for the car. He didn’t hear anything that Derek said, until his name was said in his mind. Jackson blinked and looked across the top of the car at Derek. The earth wolf had an eyebrow raised in question. Jackson glanced around to make sure they were alone, even though he could hear they were. He went around to Derek and rested against the car.

“She was part of the pack I was with. She was the alpha’s mate’s niece and she was a sweet wolf.” Jackson grinned. “She was the only one that didn’t really shun me when I first joined them. We became friends fast.”

“Is there a reason she would be targeting you?” Derek asked as he slipped his hands into the pockets of his jacket and gazed at the cloudless blue sky. “I mean, you didn’t do anything too bad to her, did you? You didn’t lead her on and then break her heart? I know what female werewolves can be like.”

“No, nothing like that. She was the only other survivor from the attack on the pack, when it happened. I was carrying her back to Beacon Hills when she snapped and bit me. That’s how I got infected with the poison.” Jackson swallowed thickly and inched away from Derek. “I ended up taking out her throat after she begged me to make it stop.”

Jackson pursed his lips as he heard her cries in his head again. He didn’t think he was strong enough to end her suffering. He never thought that he would be that pathetic that he wouldn’t know how to kill someone. He couldn’t even kill her correctly. Yet he was able to take out humans and animals without a problem? That didn’t make sense in his mind.

“And you think she survived that? There wasn’t another with her coloring?”

“Yeah, a lot of them favored the purple eyes and black hair. I think I was the only one that stuck with my human coloring. But if she was speaking with her telepathy, it was because she couldn’t use her voice.” Jackson glanced at Derek. He was still staring at the sky. “I can’t be entirely sure until I see her, but I think it is her.”

“Does she have a name or should we settle with ‘she-wolf’?”

Jackson stared at the converse shoes covering his feet. He wasn’t sure how much Derek knew about the wolf he was going to take as his mate, but he was almost certain he didn’t want to reveal her name. If he didn’t speak it, then it wasn’t real. What was real, though, was him murdering people because of something she was doing. Sierra was always good at covering her tracks, which was why the human went in first to talk about the white wolf that was murdering people.

However, if it was her, he had no idea why she hadn’t shown herself to him. She would have caught his scent in the shop and known he was there. She could have sought him out from there, which she probably had. It didn’t make any sense as to why she was hiding from him. Surely, she would have known that Mark would tell him about another shifter being in town. There weren’t that many shifters that stayed in Beacon Hills.

“Sierra,” he answered when Derek lightly touched his shoulder. “Her name is Sierra.”

Derek leaned down and nuzzled behind Jackson’s ear. “Do you have any idea why she would be targeting you and making you kill people in areas that are significant to you?”

“She’s probably upset that I didn’t actually kill her or that I returned to you.” Jackson closed his eyes, leaning in to Derek’s touch.

“She was more than just a pack member, wasn’t she?”

Jackson’s back went rigid. He was really hoping that he wouldn’t have to reveal this part of his past. However, if he wanted to gain Derek’s trust, he couldn’t lie about anything. Unfortunately, the truth was a horrible thing to reveal. He wished he could say that she was only a pack member, but that would probably anger her more if she overheard it or if she slipped into their minds.

He pulled away from Derek and stared at the asphalt under his feet, running the toe of his shoe over it. With a deep breath, Jackson decided to bite the bullet. Derek was going to find out sooner or later. If he found out from Jackson, it wouldn’t be nearly as bad as if Sierra decided to rub it in his face. She had always made it clear that she didn’t like Derek for not claiming him, but placing his scent on him.

“She was…” Jackson frowned and stepped away from Derek. He slowly raised his head and gazed at the inquisitive swirling eyes of the earth wolf. As he gazed at Derek’s handsome face, Jackson decided he was a complete idiot for not waiting for him. “She was the wolf I wanted to mate with.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Oh yes, the drama starts next chapter, but then it dies off and things go swimmingly! Thanks for the comments and the kudos and I hope to get more of them in the future!  
> Until the next one, my lovelies!  
> Peace.
> 
> Auska.


	5. Chapter V

**~Breathing Angel Style~**

**By:** Aerys Krystie.

oOo

Derek was silent for a long while and Jackson was gnawing on his lower lip, waiting for him to say something – anything. His mind had already come up with the worst cases possible. Derek telling him to leave and never come back. Derek tearing him apart. Derek rejecting him as his mate and telling him he wasn’t good enough for anyone else.

Jackson stopped chewing on his lip when he tasted blood. He felt the need to run away, but the last time he did that he hurt his mate. Derek had gone back to staring at the sky and Jackson studied his face, hoping to see something that would let him know what the earth wolf was thinking. Derek had raised his mental shields and he would know the moment Jackson tried to get past them.

After several more minutes, Jackson lowered his eyes and decided that Derek was just going to ignore him for the rest of his life. He wanted to walk away, but his wolf was telling him to apologize and try to explain the situation and pray that Derek didn’t rescind his verbal claim. The last time he listened to his wolf, he had joined a shifter pack. The pain of leaving his mate behind was brutal, but he ignored it and tried to move on with his life.

“I was expecting you mate with another male,” Derek finally whispered and Jackson kept his eyes on the asphalt of the parking lot. “I’m not sure how to feel about you trying to mate with a she-wolf. Why did you pick her? Was it because she could bear pups?”

Jackson closed his eyes. Pups had been mentioned. Sierra wanted a lot of them and Jackson didn’t want them at all. He wasn’t ready to be a father, since he was still a child himself. He wasn’t mentally matured enough to handle youngsters. He could barely handle the pups of the alpha pair and the only reason he did was because they liked him and he didn’t want to insult the alphas.

“She reminded me of Lydia. I know my memory has been removed from her, but I remember her and Sierra…” Jackson trailed off with a small smile. “Lydia was my first love and you never forget the first person to take your breath away.” He sighed and rested against the car, making sure there was plenty of space between him and Derek. “You never forget the last, either.”

He didn’t want to discuss pups with anyone, much less Derek. If they mated, they would never be parents, unless they adopted. Jackson didn’t want a family. He didn’t want to adopt or choose a surrogate. Besides, he had an eternity to change his mind. He didn’t understand why Sierra would take six months to say yes to accepting him, but then demand that he get her pregnant during her next heat cycle. She was a wolf that knew what she wanted.

“Why?”

Jackson winced at the betrayal in that one word. He clutched the box tighter, lowering his head even more. “You didn’t give me much of a reason to believe you wanted me. You were a werewolf and your life span is significantly shorter than mine. I couldn’t be around you if you didn’t claim me. I couldn’t watch you grow old and die, while I waited for you to make up your mind. I wasn’t going to spend several decades listening to you deny me as your mate.”

He raised his head and stared at the sky, ignoring Derek’s eyes on him. He chose not to feel the pain of knowing his mate didn’t want him. He never understood why that made him the bad guy in their situation. Derek hadn’t done much to prove that he cared, aside from deny him, several times or claim that it was an accident.

“I wanted to be a werewolf so badly so I could be with you. And then the kanima thing happened and you decided that my death was better for all. I’m not saying you were wrong with that. But you didn’t do much when I woke up as a werewolf. I was a lot of firsts for you. Your first bite. Your first failure. Your first murderer.” Jackson smiled bitterly. “I was the first you marked as your mate.”

Jackson glanced at Derek to see if he was still listening. The earth wolf was glaring at the ground and Jackson returned his eyes to the sky. Something he had said had clearly struck a nerve with Derek. The other shifter didn’t appear ready to hear everything that Jackson had to say. The snow wolf didn’t care. He was going to get it off his chest before it killed him to keep it all in.

“You were a few firsts for me, too. You were the first person I felt I could trust, but you made sure I couldn’t come to you with my problems. You were the first person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, but you made sure to let me know you had no feelings for me. You were my first alpha and I couldn’t ignore that, despite how much I wanted to. You’re the first and only person I’ve ever wanted to mate with so desperately that I would kill to have it.”

Derek’s eyes snapped to him. “That’s a lie and you know it,” he seethed. “You wanted to forget about me, which is why you wanted to mate with Sierra. Do you have _any_ idea how much it hurts to have your mate reject you for another that isn’t good enough?”

Jackson felt his own anger spike. “Do you have any idea how it feels to have your mate reject you time and time again? Do you have any idea how it feels to know your mate won’t fight for you? Do you have any idea how it feels to know your mate doesn’t want anything to do with you, when you need him the most?” He glared at Derek. “You weren’t the only one hurt here.”

“I promised never to leave you. I have kept that promise, Jackson. _You_ were the one that left, because you couldn’t be bothered waiting. If you weren’t my mate, I would have killed you for toying with me as much as you did.”

“I waited for you for over a year. The only time you took any notice of me was when I had done something stupid, which you would ream me out for. Then I became a wolf-shifter and you took a little more notice, but you still did _nothing_. Why did I have to put my life on hold for you?”

Derek snarled and Jackson stepped back from him. “It’s always about you, isn’t it?”

Jackson shook his head and stood his ground. “No. You’ve made it clear that what I want or need is irrelevant. When I wanted you, you didn’t care. When I needed you, you ignored me until I could be of use to you and your cause.” Jackson lowered his eyes, fighting back the tears. “I was the strongest, three years ago. You used me to take care of your problem, because you knew that I wanted to fit in so badly that I’d do anything without questioning it.”

“Is that what you think happened three years ago?” Derek took a step forward, but stopped when Jackson glared at him. “I kept you close so that I could protect you. You always said that if you kept me safe, you would keep the pack safe. I almost attacked Vincent when he showed up at the clinic when the witches put that mirrus bug in you. There’s _nothing_ I wouldn’t do for you, Jackson.”

Jackson shot Derek a dead look. “You don’t trust me. And three years ago, you didn’t fight to keep me here. I think there’s a lot you wouldn’t do for me.”

“Three years ago, I was _dying_ when you left! And be fair, you haven’t given me much of a reason to trust you. You could have kept in contact with us. If it wasn’t for our bond, I would have thought you were dead.” Derek sighed and lowered his eyes for a moment. When he looked up, there was sorrow in the swirling depths. “Three years ago, I had to deal with the fact I was quite possibly the _worst_ alpha to take over in Beacon Hills. Scott hasn’t lost _one_ member of his pack in three years. In two years, I lost _three_ pack members.”

Jackson tried to stay mad at Derek, but he found that his anger was turning on himself. He knew he was selfish and he never once stopped to think about what kind of pain Derek was going through at the deaths of Erica and Boyd. He wanted to apologize for everything he did, but he told himself that it was too late for apologies. There was nothing he could do to turn back the clock so he could ignore the call of the alpha.

He placed the box on top of the car and stepped closer to Derek. The earth wolf watched him with calculating eyes. Jackson swallowed and brought Derek’s head down to his shoulder. He nuzzled Derek’s unkempt hair, trying to offer some sort of comfort. Jackson always wanted to believe that he was a good person, but he proved he was the worst kind of person. He only cared about his own pain and ignored others that were going through worse.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured as he stroked Derek’s neck softly. His eyes widened when Derek’s arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him closer.

“Don’t ever leave me again, _sýntrofos_.” Derek buried his face into Jackson’s throat. “Please, please don’t leave me. I don’t think I would survive without you again.”

Jackson felt the wash of emotions from the telepathy and their bond crash into him. He struggled to stay upright as he felt Derek’s neediness for him; his love for him; the pain of him leaving. Jackson closed his eyes, sending back warmth and comfort. He didn’t care what happened in the future, he would never leave Derek again. The first time had been hard enough. He doubted he could survive a second time without his mate.

“I’m not going anywhere, ever again, _agápi mou_. I will never leave you again.” He held onto Derek protectively. He could feel someone watching them. He felt the way Derek’s shoulders straightened slightly and knew he sensed it, too.

The gaze on them disappeared and Derek pulled back, glancing around the parking lot. Jackson looked at the alley behind Derek, frowning when he thought he saw glowing eyes in the shadows. He stepped around Derek, but paused before taking another step. He just promised he wouldn’t leave him again and he was going to be damned if he broke that promise after thirty seconds. It would be a hell of a record, though.

Jackson moistened his lips, wincing. He forgot about chewing the skin off his lower lip. He tenderly touched his fingertips to it and gazed at the small spots of blood. He sighed and shook his head. He raised his eyes to the alley again and saw nothing. If someone had been there, they were gone and that worked fine for Jackson. He wasn’t in the mood to get into a fight with someone or something.

He jumped slightly when he felt Derek’s hand on his lower back. Derek pulled him towards the car, saying that they should head back before a search party is sent out. Jackson nodded slowly, tearing his eyes from the alley. He grabbed the box from the roof and slipped into the passenger seat. The drive back was relaxed and Jackson tilted his head back, smiling softly.

As soon they hit the forest, Derek floored the pedal. Jackson lost the smile and gripped the box tightly. “Jesus Christ! Have you got nitro in this thing?”

Derek glanced at him and smirked. “I might have tinkered with the engine a little.” Jackson could feel a panic attack setting in. “Relax, I know what I’m doing.”

Jackson crushed the box in his hands, unsure if he could move when Derek slowed down and parked beside Stiles’ jeep. He shook as he reached for the handle and tried to get out of the car without undoing the seatbelt. Derek slammed a hand on his chest and undid the belt. Jackson leaned on the door heavily, waiting for the adrenaline to leave his body. He glared when Derek chuckled as he headed inside, swinging his keys.

When he could breathe again, Jackson closed the door and went inside. He went up to his room, pulling the pillows off the bed and setting them up on the floor. He looked at the metal bed frame and hoped he wouldn’t break it as he attached the cuffs. He was going to be sleeping uncomfortably, but it was better than being outside and murdering people and animals. He sighed and sat on the pillows and cushions, gazing at the cuffs. That was his line of defense against whatever was happening to him.

He closed his eyes and leaned back into the warmth that appeared behind him. “Are you okay?” Derek asked, nuzzling the back of Jackson’s neck.

“Aside from the fact that you almost scared the piss out of me, yeah, I’m fine. Just thinking, that’s all.” Jackson blinked when Isaac lied down in front of him, grinning.

“Don’t strain yourself, _ómorfo agóri_ ,” he said and patted Jackson on the knee.

“How many of them know Greek?” Jackson asked as he glanced back at Derek. “You taught them this, didn’t you?”

Derek widened his eyes in feigned innocence. “I would never teach them how to call you ‘pretty boy’ in every language I know,” he replied with a purely wolfish grin.

Jackson looked at Isaac when he rattled the cuffs, pulling back as the silver reacted to his werewolf gene. “That’s silver, Isaac.”

With a nod, Isaac rolled onto his side, propping his head on his hand and gazing at him and Derek. “So you two worked everything out? It was kind of a downer when you were fighting or not speaking to each other.”

“You see?” Jackson said, gesturing towards Isaac. “This is what happens when we fight in front of the kids. They don’t know whose side to take.”

“Hey, I’m older than you,” Isaac said with a small pout, moving to sit on the bed. “But seriously, have you two worked your shit out?”

Jackson looked back at Derek. _Have we worked our shit out?_ Derek combed his fingers through Jackson’s hair. _Is there anything else you need to tell me?_ Jackson lowered his eyes, thinking over the last three years. He was fairly certain that the only thing worth mentioning was that he tried to mate with Sierra. Since that was out in the open, he shook his head.

Derek raised his eyes to Jackson. “Yeah, we’ve sorted out our shit.”

“About time!” Malia said as she threw herself on the pillows. “It’s been a tense week with you two fighting.”

“I completely agree and I don’t even know you,” Liam remarked as he sat with his back to the bed. “I don’t mean that in a bad way, man. All I know is that you left without saying anything and that was a pretty big dick move.” He tilted his head back and gazed at the painted ceiling.

Jackson shrugged. He didn’t take any offense to Liam’s words. Hearing the story about how he abandoned the pack did make him out to be a dick and he wasn’t going to deny that it was a dick move. He was just grateful that they were looking out for Derek. He looked over his shoulder to the door, waiting for Allison, Scott and Stiles to wander in.

“Where are the others?”

“Burying the animals,” Malia said and rolled onto her stomach. She gazed at Jackson. “Are you okay? I mean, you turned vegetarian because you didn’t want to kill animals.”

Jackson tensed for a moment. He forced his body to relax and smiled. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

 _Liar_ , Derek whispered in his mind as a hand slipped up his hoodie. _You don’t have to lie to us, Jackson._ The snow wolf worked on his keep his heartbeat at a normal pace as Derek’s hand moved over his abdomen. He felt his body reacting to the touch and pulled away from him, sitting beside Liam with his back to the bed and between Isaac’s legs. His legs were hooked over Malia’s and he got the old sense of belonging and pack.

He gazed at Derek, eyes dropping to the lips that were constantly surrounded by two day growth. He shook his head. “It’s called a ‘razor,’ man. You might wanna invest in one.”

“We’ve been telling him that for years,” Liam said and nodded sagely. Jackson grinned and stroked his hair. He stopped when Derek glared at his hand.

“I did not realize there was a party happening up here.”

Jackson’s eyes lit up as he looked at the demon standing in the doorway. He was on his feet in an instant and hugged Tsuki tightly. The demon chuckled softly. Jackson felt someone hugging Tsuki around him and glanced at Malia. She was grinning brightly and her excitement was contagious. Jackson pulled back and Malia climbed onto Tsuki’s back.

Derek stood and shook hands with Tsuki. Isaac bowed, greeting as him as ‘my Prince,’ with a small smirk. Tsuki raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as he moved into the room. Everyone took their positions up again, except Malia. She was more than happy to stay on Tsuki’s back as he sat on the bed, beside Isaac.

It wasn’t long after that that Vincent joined them, stretching his long body out on the pillows and cushions. Allison, Scott and Stiles came back a few minutes later. By that time, Derek had his head on Jackson’s lap, gazing at the ceiling as the snow wolf stroked his hair. They sat or lounged in silence, just enjoying the feeling of being together. The other three said they were going to shower.

They returned ten minutes later, smelling a lot better. Allison joined Isaac, Tsuki and Malia on the bed, while Stiles and Scott lounged with Vincent. Jackson inhaled all the different scents and tilted his head back, closing his eyes. He could happily fall asleep right here, if it wasn’t for the fact that he was losing hours every night and needed to know why.

Everyone was feeling the same way. Just before all of them could let sleep claim them, Derek casually said, “So there’s another wolf-shifter in town and she’s bat-shit insane.”

Everyone groaned and forced their brains to operate. Jackson sighed and moved his legs. He stood up and stretched, his spine cracking into place. Derek was also on his feet. The others slowly stood, grumbling about having to move. They went downstairs to the kitchen. Jackson sat on the breakfast counter, beside Liam as he watched the others sit at the table. He knew he would have to take the lead on the story.

He was the one that knew Sierra the best, since her parents were dead, along with her brother and sisters. “Her name is Sierra. Before the attack on the pack, she was a beta that was about to be kicked out to become an alpha. Now that she has no pack, she is an alpha wolf-shifter, which is probably why I wasn’t able to kill her. An omega cannot kill an alpha in the shifter world.” Jackson lowered his eyes, frowning. He was berating himself for not thinking of that sooner.

“And why would she be on the war path towards us, more specifically towards _you_?” Stiles asked as he grabbed a chocolate chip cookie.

Jackson blinked as one appeared in his hand. “She was the wolf that I was intended to mate with, before the attack happened. I guess she still thinks I’m hers and she will want to fight Derek to the death for me. _If_ that is the reason why she’s angry. She could just be angry that I tried to kill her because she was tripping on poison.” He shrugged and handed his cookie to Liam when he noticed the werewolf staring at it.

“She has an entire pack to take on,” Scott said as he leaned on the table. “She isn’t going to take you or Derek down. We won’t let that happen.”

Jackson sighed, wanting desperately to believe what Scott saying. “You don’t understand, McCall. She’s a _shifter_. She has magic, strength and speed on her side. She will _destroy_ you and any other werewolf that gets in her way. If she does want a fight, I’m the one that should go against her.” He raised his head and smirked cockily. “She trained me, after all.”

“You’re not taking her on,” Scott stated and narrowed his eyes.

“Derek isn’t gonna any match for her! She was raised, lived and trained with shifters her entire life. If anyone has any shot at taking her down, it is me. I can weaken her enough for Derek to go in for the kill shot. He’s an alpha, after all.”

“He has a point,” Vincent said as he stirred his peppermint tea. He didn’t look up when everyone, minus Tsuki, turned their eyes to him. “Jackson spent three years in a shifter pack. He should do it.”

“Did you snort cocaine before you got back here?” Stiles demanded and shook his head. “Derek was raised as a werewolf. He knows how to fight. Jackson is pretty much a badass with a lacrosse stick in his hand and in a championship game.”

Jackson’s eyes widened. “Stilinski, I will show you how much of a badass I am if you don’t shut up.” He fought the blush back as he glared at the human. “I can still kick McCall’s ass.”

“None of us were there to see it, so it doesn’t count.” Stiles grinned and Jackson jumped off the counter. “Hey, I’m a human!”

“And if I rip your throat out, you’ll be a dead human.” Jackson grinned, hoping Stiles would realize he was only joking. He didn’t really need to defend his fighting skills, but if Stiles wanted to see what he was like, he had no problem showcasing a few moves.

Derek kicked out Jackson’s knee as he stood and slammed his mate’s face into the table. Jackson cried out, resting his arms on the table. He looked up and saw Stiles smirking knowingly. Jackson waited until Derek was behind him, before he stood and elbowed the other shifter in the eye. He spun around, kneed him in the ribs, punched him hard enough to crack his jaw and cheek and then moved behind him. He kicked out Derek’s knee and held his jaw in his hands.

“From here, I can snap his neck and leave him completely defenseless. Any questions?” Jackson stared directly into Stiles’ astonished eyes.

“Isn’t he your mate?” Malia asked.

Jackson released Derek’s head, leaning down to kiss his cheek. “Yes, he is. We have a mutual understanding when it comes to examples.”

“I don’t have a question, more of a statement. If you two are ever gonna have sex, get a hotel room.” Stiles shook his head, grabbing another cookie.

Jackson rolled his eyes, snatching the cookie from Stiles’ hand before it reached his mouth. He was back on the breakfast counter before Stiles knew what had happened. Not even Scott was able to keep up with his movements. He smirked and bit into the cookie, reveling in look of horror on Stiles’ face childishly. He caught the look from Derek and sighed, apologizing to Stiles, but also mentioning that it was part of the lesson.

“What was? She’s gonna steal my cookie, just like you did? I think I can live without _one_ cookie in my life.” Stiles glared and grabbed the last cookie on the plate. It came as no surprise when the plate was replenished with cookies.

Jackson lowered eyes for a moment. “How badly did you wanna have kids, Stilinski?” he asked and raised his eyes, gazing at the human blankly. Stiles choked on the cookie. “Yeah, she’ll take _those_ cookies if you get in her way.” He hopped off the counter and approached the table. “Just remember that werewolves are _nothing_ compared shifters. They’re more dangerous, more vicious and have less shame. They’ll attack those you care about, so I suggest all of you find a way of getting your parents together in one room and keeping an eye on them.” He left the house, announcing he was going for a run.

 

oOo

 

Derek stood on the porch, a cup of coffee in his hand. He was upwind from Vincent as the dragon lit another cigarette. It had been seven hours since Jackson said he was going for a run. Normally, it wouldn’t be a problem. However, since Sierra made herself known around town, Derek was more than a little worried. He knew that Jackson could hide his scent, so tracking him down wasn’t an option.

Through their link as mates, he could sense that Jackson was still within the forest. He didn’t want to hunt down the snow wolf, though. They had only just gotten over their trust issues and he wasn’t about to jeopardize that. He sighed and placed the mug on the railing. He plucked the cigarette from Vincent’s lips and pulled in a long drag. He frowned at the cigarette. He wasn’t expecting Vincent to be a menthol smoker.

He handed the smoke back, but Vincent wrinkled his nose. “I don’t want your cooties,” he said and pulled out another one.

Derek gazed at him. Vincent was staring into the trees, his eyes flicking from side to side every so often, as though he could see something moving out there. Derek followed his gaze and saw nothing out there. He wasn’t sure how good a dragon’s eye sight was, though. He knew that Vincent held onto the belief that dragons were far better than wolves. Knowing that Vincent could burn him to a cinder in a matter of seconds, Derek wasn’t ready to test him.

Jackson came running out of the trees, slowing to a trot before he shifted into his human form at the foot of the steps. His eyes landed on the cigarette in Derek’s hand and he cocked an eyebrow. He went inside without saying anything. Derek pulled in one more lungful and then crushed it out, following Jackson to the kitchen. He watched as the snow wolf downed a bottle of water and then grabbed a bowl of fruit from the fridge.

Derek leaned against the breakfast counter, watching as Jackson bit into a peach. He wiped the juice from his chin with his thumb. “You had us worried. You didn’t go looking for her, did you?”

Jackson swallowed the fruit. “I wanted to,” he admitted and took another bit of the peach. He chewed quickly and swallowed, glancing at Derek. “Is there something on my face?”

Derek took hold of Jackson’s jaw and licked his chin. Jackson tensed, but he didn’t pull away, so Derek took that as a good sign. He nuzzled Jackson’s cheek, watching as his pupils started to dilate. He wanted so badly to kiss the snow wolf, but he pulled back and let him finish eating. Jackson cleared his throat and finished the peach quickly, making sure he wiped his chin every time he took a bite. Derek tried not to growl about that.

Jackson moved onto the grapes, placing them to his mouth before sliding the fruit in. He glanced at Derek innocently each time. Derek growled in the back of his throat. He wanted to know why Jackson was playing with him; teasing him. It wouldn’t end well. Derek finally ended up looking away, knowing now wasn’t the right time to claim his mate entirely.

Derek’s ears twitched and Jackson’s back went rigid. Derek told Jackson to come in from the side of the house. Jackson nodded and walked out the backdoor stealthily. Derek went to the front door and opened it, gazing at the gray wolf that was sitting halfway between the steps and the tree line. Derek frowned and walked down the stairs. It wasn’t Sierra and his eyes widened as the wolf howled and ran towards him.

Jackson tackled the wolf before it got within two feet of Derek. Blinking, Derek watched with morbid curiosity as Jackson tore into the wolf. That wasn’t the same Jackson that Derek had dominated three nights earlier. This Jackson was vicious, fast and almost deadly. Peter was thrown into a tree, a small yelp of pain leaving his mouth as he slumped to the ground.

Peter’s gray coat was stained with blood and Derek could smell the fear. The sound of two wolves fighting had woken everyone. Scott was the first down, watching as Jackson advanced on Peter, head lowered and snarling. Derek wasn’t sure if he wanted Jackson to back off, but was dead serious about not getting between Jackson as his prey. Peter might have been broader and taller by three inches, but that didn’t seem to matter to Jackson.

Peter got to his feet and charged at Jackson. The snow wolf stood his ground, his teeth sinking into the ribs of the fire wolf. Scott moved forward to stop them, but Derek held his arm out. Despite still being injured, Jackson wasn’t letting Peter get any attacks in. Three years with a wolf pack had done the snow wolf a world of good.

However, when Derek noticed that Jackson was toying with Peter, he shifted and stepped between the fighting pair. Jackson was biting and tearing out chunks of fur and flesh for the sake of causing him pain with no intention of making him submit. Peter had tried to submit twice. Jackson growled at him, wanting him out of the way. Derek stood in front of his uncle protectively and snapped his teeth at Jackson. It didn’t go the way he wanted it to.

Jackson stared at him, no sign of backing down. Derek had no idea what Peter had done to Jackson to make the snow wolf hate him, but he would find out when the time was right. He moved faster than Jackson expected and took hold of his throat, pinning the white wolf down. Jackson tilted his head back and Derek pulled back slightly, nuzzling it gently.

“That’s sweet and all,” Stiles said as he stood beside Scott. “But what is _he_ doing back here?”

Derek looked at his uncle and shifted back to his human form. He shrugged. “I have no idea. He just showed up. I think he was going to say something, until _someone_ attacked him.” He shot a glare at Jackson. The snow wolf snuffled and licked his still injured right leg.

Scott approached Peter cautiously, unsure of how the fire wolf was going to react. He knelt beside the barely breathing animal and then glanced back at Jackson. There was no remorse for what he had done. Derek ordered Jackson to shift and he did. Derek punched him the minute he raised his head, sending him to the ground. Jackson blinked and gazed at him, tilting his head in confusion.

 _If you ever attack someone like that again, I will_ put you down, Derek warned and went over to Peter. He picked up the fire wolf, ignoring the hurt in Jackson’s eyes. He took Peter to the room he claimed when the transition was taking place, laying him on the bed. He shouted out for Scott to call Deaton and get him over there quickly. He created the medical supplies he needed, thinking back to the way that Jackson had moved.

He disinfected the bites and claw marks. Jackson was beyond brutal with Peter. He would have gone in for the kill, after he had finished toying with him. Derek sighed as he tried to stop the bleeding. He glanced at the door when he heard someone enter. Jackson stood there, shame and guilt on his face as he gazed at Peter.

“Get out.”

Jackson flinched, but ignored Derek and approached the bed. “Deaton won’t get here in time to save him.”

Derek’s eyes widened as Jackson took hold of Peter’s leg and concentrated. He tried to break the connection, but he found himself pinned to a wall, cuffed at the wrists and ankles with ice. His eyes flashed green and wood cracked the binds. He was pinned to the wall with a ring of ice around his neck and he realized that Jackson was going to continuously pin him down. He watched as the wounds appeared on Jackson’s pale body.

A pained gasp left his mouth and he stumbled back. Derek broke the ice and checked on Peter, seeing that he was fine. By the time he turned to Jackson, the snow wolf was stumbling down the hall to his room. The door slammed shut and Derek shook his head. Someone needed to be with him, but he had to interrogate his uncle first.

“I got it,” Vincent called as he walked into Jackson’s room. He was thrown out a second later and the door slammed shut.

Derek watched as Tsuki walked through the wall, blinking. Well, that wasn’t something one saw everyday. Derek shook his head and placed a hand to Peter’s ribs, ignoring the blood on his hands. The heartbeat was steady and strong. Derek pulled back and figured he was tired from his travel there and the fight. If it could be called that. Peter was pretty abysmal for the duration of it.

Shaking his head, Derek stood and leapt over the banister. He went to the kitchen as the others had gathered in there. Scott would be worried about the safety of his pack and Derek honestly didn’t blame him. He was having serious doubts about having Jackson around, especially if his uncle provoked that kind of a response from him. It wasn’t the best example of how wolf-shifters fought, but it seemed to do the trick. Malia and Liam appeared terrified of the sight of him.

“I’m not crazy,” Derek said as he grabbed a bottle of water from the counter. “And neither is Jackson.”

“We know he’s not crazy,” Liam said slowly and raised his eyes. “He’s murderous. There’s a difference between the two and we all know that. It’s a pity. He seemed like such a cool wolf to hang out with. Instead, he’s just a murderer that likes toying with his food.”

Vincent slapped Liam across the back of the head. “Bite your tongue, boy. That’s my ward you’re talking so lowly of. I know his heart and mind better than anyone in this room. Yes, that includes you too, Derek. That wasn’t him fighting Peter.”

Liam rubbed his head, glaring at the dragon, but didn’t say anything further about Jackson’s mental status, which Derek was grateful for. However, it made him feel better knowing that it wasn’t Jackson that decided Peter was a decent chew toy. He glanced at Vincent guiltily. He had thought that Jackson had gone off the deep end, too. He wasn’t proud of the fact, but he didn’t know what to think when he thought back to the fight.

Vincent rolled his eyes. “Honestly, think about what he was like before he made the biggest dick move of his life and left.” Vincent glanced at all of them. “He took a clip of bullets for Allison and – and – him.” He pointed at Stiles.

“Yeah, he did that. But then he ran away and left us alone.” Isaac lowered his eyes. “He left _all_ of us. Not even you knew he was going to do that.” He stared at Vincent.

“Not knowing and not disclosing his plans are two different things, Isaac,” Vincent said sagely.

Derek rolled his eyes. “What a crock of shit, you isolated bastard. Before he took those bullets, he also tore into the leader of the witches. He’s vicious when he needs to be. If it wasn’t him that was fighting Peter out there, who was it?”

Vincent stared at him in disbelief, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You’re joking, right?” When Derek frowned, Vincent’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open. He looked at the others and shook his head. “I’m working with retards!”

Derek pursed his lips. “It looked like Jackson and it smelled like Jackson. If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck and swims like a duck, clearly it’s a fucking duck!” he snapped and narrowed his eyes.

“Another alternative is that it’s a snow wolf that had his mind taken over by another of his kind and was then forced to fight your uncle to death. Is that clear enough for you? Dear god, I didn’t think that wolves were this _stupid_.” The entire pack growled at the dragon. “ _None_ of you have done anything to show me your intelligence. Wanna know how I know? My ward is upstairs, basically bleeding to death for something he didn’t do.”

Derek opened the bottle of water and drank half the contents. “Who was controlling him, then? I’ve never heard of anything being able to do that.” He paused and thought back to when he met Mark in the pub. The way the alpha moved to stand in front of Tsuki before Liam swung the chair. “Except Tsuki.”

“Trust me; the Prince isn’t responsible for what happened to Jackson.” Vincent glanced at the vacant eyes of the wolves and the human in the room. “Fuck me! It was Sierra, you idiots!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, my dears! Ooh yes, the plot thing thickens...somewhat...I think. I don't really know. I have a cracked tooth and I'm currently riding a serious high of painkillers on this story. I have no idea what's actually happening, so I'm sorry if it doesn't make much sense. However, the next chapter will up soon! Thanks for all the comments and the kudos! I can't wait to see more in the future. Oh and I need a mate for Stiles, as well. I'm not sure who to put him with, but I really need him with someone for the fourth story in this series. Let me know who you think he should be with!  
> Until the next one, my lovelies!  
> Peace.
> 
> Auska.


	6. Chapter VI

**~Breathing Angel Style~**

**By:** Aerys Krystie.

oOo

“Just fucking kill me!” Jackson begged as the antiseptic cream was rubbed into his wounds. Tsuki ignored him and Jackson tried to swing at him. Tsuki calmly caught the fist without even pausing in what he was doing.

Jackson glared at the demon. Tsuki raised his eyes, forever edged in sorrow as he continued to rub the cream into the bites and claw marks on Jackson’s back. Jackson cursed and tried everything he could to get away from the stinging. The wounds hurt enough, especially since some of them were deep enough to have nicked nerves and some had scratched along bone. He had no idea how he was still awake for this, as he thought his body would have shut down.

Tsuki never said anything. He stopped Jackson every time he tried to squirm away. He ignored the words. Everything he did was done effortlessly and taken in stride. _Nothing_ phased the demon as Jackson screamed, begged and threatened. He would do anything to make the pain stop. He even tried to break the ceramic lamp over his head, but Tsuki had grabbed it and placed it out of his reach.

Jackson hated that Tsuki had to dig into the deep wounds to spread the cream. It had happened on his left bicep. He could feel Tsuki’s finger sliding into the tooth puncture, right down to the bone, which had Jackson screaming and begging for death again. He didn’t cry, though. He wasn’t that much of a bitch. He tried not to flinch when something gleamed from the corner of his eye. Tsuki was holding a needle and a pathetic whimper left Jackson’s mouth.

Tsuki once again said nothing as he threaded the needle. Jackson screamed as it pierced his skin and he could feel it moving through. There was a bang on the door and Jackson yelled at them to fuck off. He wasn’t having an audience to his torture. The door unlocked and opened and Jackson growled at Tsuki for being a dick. The demon didn’t flinch or give any indication that he had heard.

Jackson turned his head and groaned when he saw Derek entering. He had woken up just in time for Derek to punch and then threaten to put him down if he did anything again. He figured the earth wolf was angry with him for making noise. Derek knelt beside the bed and Jackson flinched when he raised his hand. Derek sighed and nodded, saying he deserved that.

Another scream ripped from Jackson’s throat. He sat up and shoved Tsuki back, glaring at him. His head swam from the blood loss and he swayed where he sat, falling backwards. Derek caught his head just before it hit the wall. He groaned, trying to push Derek away. Instead, he gripped the shirt his mate wore and pulled him closer, closing his eyes and breathing in his scent.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, opening his eyes slightly. He didn’t notice that Tsuki was stitching closed a deep claw mark on his leg. He focused on Derek’s battling blue to green eyes. “I didn’t hurt Peter. I would never do that to someone. I don’t want to be a killer. Not again.”

Derek ran his hand through Jackson’s hair, watching as it reflected blue and silver in the light. He smiled softly. His eyes dropped to the bite marks on his throat. “I know, Jackson. I’m sorry that I hit you, but I really ––”

Jackson shook his head, clinging to Derek. He didn’t want to hear how Derek thought he could actually do something that cruel. He knew he wasn’t responsible for the deaths of the people and the animals, but he had no idea what was happening to him. No one seemed to know anything and it was starting to scare him. It was too much like being the kanima again. He didn’t want to be that thing.

He knew who he was. He knew what his purpose was. He had to make Derek happy and he seemed to be failing miserably at that. His wolf was telling him that Derek was happy, for the moment. What would happen tomorrow, if Jackson killed someone else? He looked at Derek’s face. The earth wolf’s eyes were closed as he continued to stroke Jackson’s hair.

A searing heat filled his body and Jackson hissed, glaring at Tsuki. The demon blinked and walked out of the room. Jackson frowned and looked at his body. It was perfect, almost flawless aside from the scars that he refused to let heal from Derek’s attacks on him. He grinned and shook his head, unable to believe he forgot that Tsuki could heal any wound. He had no idea why he didn’t just demand that in the first place. That demon was a jerk sometimes.

Derek’s eyes opened and he ran his hand over Jackson’s healed body. Jackson felt the relief wash through his mate’s body. “I was told that Sierra had taken over your mind, which is why she used your body to attack Peter.” He lied Jackson down; kissing the cheek he had punched for a moment and then settled beside him.

Jackson glanced at Derek. He knew they were trying to have a serious conversation, but Derek’s hand was stroking his abdomen and Jackson shifted, turning onto his side. He felt Derek’s lips and stubble on his shoulder. He felt the hot tongue on the scars on his neck and his cock was standing at attention. He felt Derek’s hand move towards his boxer briefs. He pulled back, falling off the bed and taking the blood-stained quilt with him.

He was breathing heavily, trying to get his thoughts into order. He really needed to talk to someone about this; someone that had experience. Derek looked devastated and Jackson ran his hands through his hair. He had no idea how to explain this. Sure, he wanted Derek and nothing but Derek, yet he couldn’t stop the fear of having a man like Derek in him. Now really wasn’t the time for them to be thinking of mating, anyway.

Jackson dressed and said he was going to see Danny. He slipped out the window and shifted into his wolf form, running from the woods. Once he hit the town, he became human and followed Danny’s scent – more specifically, the scent of Armani aftershave that smelled really good. He honestly didn’t care that it was one in the morning. He needed to talk to his gay best friend.

He found that Danny had moved out of home and was living with an alpha werewolf. Jackson had no idea if Danny knew about werewolves. He looked at the two story house and raised an eyebrow. He jumped onto the roof easily and unlocked the window with a flick of a finger. He slipped into the bedroom, ducking the hand that was coming for his throat.

Not used to the bedroom, Jackson hissed when he bumped into something that broke. He could see the red eyes of the alpha in the darkness. They changed the moment the bedside lamp went on and Danny sat up, staring at Jackson like some kind of monster. Jackson knew his eyes weren’t swirling. He had used his magic to make them appear their usual blue.

“Hey, Danny,” Jackson greeted with a grin. Danny frowned and Jackson slipped into his mind. “Of course you don’t remember me.” He walked up to the human, growling when his arm was caught and he was thrown into a wall. He dropped his magic and glared at Ethan. “Back off, sunshine.”

“Stay the hell away from my mate.”

Jackson rolled his eyes and locked them with Danny, seeing the curiosity in his eyes as he watched Jackson’s swirl. He slipped into the human’s mind and found the wall that was locking his memories of Jackson away. He easily removed it and Danny frowned, before he tilted his head to the side adorably. Jackson grinned.

“Hey, Danny,” he greeted again, grateful when Danny threw back the covers and walked over to Jackson. They stared at each other for a moment, before Danny pulled him into a hug. “I know it’s been a while, man.”

“A while?” Danny repeated as he pulled back and shook his head. “I haven’t seen you in _four_ years. Last I heard, you woke up as a werewolf and then nothing! And what is up with your eyes?”

Jackson glanced at Ethan for a brief moment and then looked back at his friend. “I’m a wolf-shifter now,” he said slowly and didn’t do anything as Ethan stepped up to him and sniffed along his neck and up behind his ear.

The alpha pulled and frowned. “That’s impossible. Wolf-shifters are a legend.” He leaned in and inhaled Jackson’s scent again. “You’re very fresh.”

“What’s a wolf-shifter? Is that a werewolf that can change into a wolf? Ethan told me that there are some werewolves that can do that.” Danny tilted his head again, staring at Jackson. “But he didn’t say anything about eyes like that. Serious, what is up with those?”

“Wolf-shifters are different from werewolves,” Ethan said as he stood beside Danny. “They’re meant to be stronger, faster and have magic.” He ran his eyes over Jackson. “They’re only a legend, though, a story that we were told. No one has ever seen a wolf-shifter before.”

“Well, there are four in town now.” Jackson grinned. “Derek’s a shifter, as well. So is his crazy uncle and there’s another snow wolf in town that’s hunting me.” He shrugged and went over to the bed. He flicked his hand and it was made. He sat on the foot and gazed at them. “I’m not here about that, by the way.”

Danny was staring at the bed for a long while. “Why are you here?”

“Sex with a man.”

“Derek finally claimed you?” Ethan asked and shrugged when Jackson’s bewildered eyes landed on him. “Your scent was all over him. I didn’t know who it belonged to, because I never met you.”

Jackson glared. “No, he hasn’t claimed me. I need to know what to expect when it happens, though. Derek isn’t exactly… _small_ in any area.” He turned his eyes to Danny, pleading with him. “I really need some help in what to expect and how much it’s gonna hurt.”

Danny blinked several times. He sat beside Jackson and placed an arm around his shoulders. “It won’t be as bad as you think it will be.” A sly smile spread over his lips as he glanced at Ethan. “My wolf isn’t that small either.”

Ethan groaned and left the bedroom. Jackson watched him go. “But you’re accustomed to men being in you…” He trailed off and cleared his throat.

“If he doesn’t do it correctly, the first time will be painful. If he’s as big as Ethan is, it will tear you, despite how gentle he is.” Danny’s hand dropped from Jackson’s shoulders.

Jackson wasn’t sure if Danny was making him feel better or worse. He knew he didn’t want to know about the pain that could come from having sex with another man. He wanted to know about the pleasure it could create. He wanted to know what it was actually like and if it was something he would be into.

“If you’re not comfortable with the penetration, you need to make sure he knows it. You can’t be with someone that doesn’t respect your limits,” Danny said, hands falling between his legs. “Do you trust him?’

“I don’t really have much of a choice but to trust him. He’s done so much for me that it wouldn’t sense for me not to trust him.” Jackson glanced down, chewing his lower lip.

Danny nodded slowly. “Still, don’t do anything you’re not comfortable with. Love comes from trust and if he breaks that trust…” He trailed off, staring intently at Jackson.

“He would never do anything like that. He knows he basically owns me.”

Jackson idly touched the scars that were on his neck. All of them were from Derek. He had made sure that they didn’t heal over, because he wanted the world know who he belonged to. He wanted everyone to know he had a partner that made him happy and he had someone he could talk to.

It probably should matter that they had only just reached this conclusion. Jackson knew he wasn’t the best partner out there, aside from looking good on someone’s arm. He was intelligent, but he wasn’t the nicest person in the world. He honestly had no idea what Derek saw in him that made the werewolf claim him. It could be that Derek liked the mental ones.

Derek’s previous known girlfriend to Jackson did burn down his family home, with his family still in it. Maybe Derek saw a little of Kate in Jackson, which was something he really didn’t want to think about. Jackson couldn’t even begin to conceive the idea of destroying someone that way. He shuddered and Danny glanced at him.

With a smile, Jackson stood and clapped Danny on the shoulder. “Thanks for all your help, man. I’m sorry that I disappeared for so long. I promise that it won’t happen again.” He gave Danny a quick hug and slipped out the window.

Once he was outside, Jackson gazed at the window for a moment, slipping into Danny’s mind. He grinned evilly as he retrieved the information he was after and ran out of the yard. He really didn’t need to worry about the cops detaining him. He couldn’t exactly explain why he was there at that hour, instead of just calling the owner. If he didn’t live in a house with werewolves and wolf-shifters, he might have actually called Danny.

However, getting the information could only be done in person. So he had a valid reason to be there, in a sense. He wasn’t going to have Danny explain it to him when it was so much easier to just take what he wanted without his friend ever knowing. He stopped on the street and looked back at the house. Danny and Ethan had gone back to bed. He wondered if Lydia had a wall up in her mind, as well.

With a shrug, Jackson decided that there would be a time and place to see Lydia. Right now wasn’t one of those times. He made his way back to the Hale house, shifting into his wolf form the moment he was out of the public’s eye. He got back in minutes and shifted again. He grinned at Vincent as the dragon smoked and watched him.

Jackson ran inside and found Derek reading _Great Expectations_. He looked up the moment Jackson walked in. “I’m not comfortable with the idea of your dick in my ass,” Jackson stated as he knelt beside the bed.

Derek tagged the page he was up to and placed the book on the bedside chest. “I’m glad that you told me.” He placed a hand on Jackson’s head and gently ruffled the strands. “I would never push you into something that you wouldn’t want to do.”

Jackson lowered his head slightly, allowing Derek to pet him like a dog. His eyes ran down the length of Derek’s body and he tilted his head, seeing that the earth wolf was still hard. It had to be painful or he was hard again. Jackson moistened his lips and crawled onto Derek, running his hands over the exposed torso.

He leaned down, kissing the corner of Derek’s mouth and then down his chin and throat. He kept his eyes on Derek’s, watching as the vivid blue bled into emerald only to bleed back into blue. He moved down to Derek’s clavicle, running his tongue along the bone. A gentle moan left his mouth as he tasted the skin. It was like salt and loam after a heavy rain.

Jackson moved further down, eager to put the information to good use. He needed to know what Derek liked when it came to someone’s mouth on his cock. He undid the belt and button on the jeans, trying to keep his hands steady. He knew that Derek could smell and sense the nervousness from him.

Derek gently touched Jackson’s shoulder and the snow wolf looked up at him. “You don’t have to do this,” he murmured.

Jackson shook his head and pulled off his own shirt. He undid the flier on the jeans and moved down the stunning body of his mate. He kissed the abdomen and pulled down the jeans, not surprised in the slightest that Derek went commando. He stared at the cock that was on display for him and his own strained painfully against his jeans.

Long and thick and just perfect. Jackson knew he wouldn’t be able to take the whole on length into his mouth, but he would give it his best damn shot. He moved down and exhaled on it, grinning when he heard Derek inhale sharply from the cold breath. However, the mirth didn’t last long as he realized that Derek would want a _warm_ mouth.

Jackson hesitated and licked the head. Derek didn’t react, so Jackson took the head into his mouth and swirled his tongue around it. Derek didn’t react, so Jackson pulled back and stared at him, curious on if he was doing something wrong. Derek smiled warmly and told him to do that again.

Deciding it was a good thing; Jackson went down and took the head into his mouth again. It was so warm against the chill of his tongue. He slid down the length more, a tingle going up his spine when a soft groan left Derek’s mouth. He slowly moved his head up and down the half length he could take in. Derek started panting and Jackson pulled back slightly, running his tongue along the slit.

Jackson chanced a look up. Derek was watching him intently; his eyes didn’t miss a single thing. It made Jackson feel better about what he was doing. He took in even more of the length, deciding that he liked having Derek’s dick in his mouth. His speed increased and so did Derek’s breathing. He looked up and Derek pursed his lips, trying to push Jackson back. The snow wolf wouldn’t budge and Derek came in his mouth.

Frowning, Jackson waited until Derek had spent his load and sat back, swallowing and tilting his head. It wasn’t nearly as bad as he thought it would be. He rolled to the side and smiled up at Derek. The earth wolf was breathing heavily and staring at the wall in front of him. Jackson grinned and shook his head. He kicked off his shoes and removed his jeans, pulling back the quilt and slipping under.

“Jackson, how did you know…?” Derek looked down at his unsatisfied mate. He kicked off his jeans and got under the covers. “Did you want me to ––?”

Jackson shook his head and pulled Derek against him. “I just need you near me,” he said sleepily. He gasped when he felt Derek’s hand over his stiff cock. “Derek, don’t.”

“Jackson,” Derek whispered hotly into his ear. “You don’t need to think only of my pleasure. You’re allowed to let me ––”

“I don’t want anything from you, Derek. I just need you here.” Jackson rolled over and nuzzled into Derek’s chest.

“If you’re sure.” Derek wrapped his arms around Jackson, making him relax instantly. “Good night, _sýntrofos_.”

“Night, Derek.”

 

oOo

 

Derek woke slowly, feeling much better than he had in over a decade. He looked down at the body in his arms and frowned. He remembered what happened earlier in the morning and quickly pushed the memory away as a certain part reacted to it.

He rolled Jackson onto his back, smirking at the slight pout at moving. He tilted his head slightly as he looked at the sleeping face. He never had the opportunity to study Jackson when he was sleeping. He loved seeing the softer lines. He leaned down and brushed his lips across Jackson’s. The snow wolf moaned softly and his eyes fluttered open, gazing at him sleepily.

It was only three hours ago that they had fallen asleep and Jackson didn’t look ready to wake up. He wrapped his arms around Derek’s neck, nuzzling into his throat. Derek’s eyes widened as Jackson’s bucked his hips up. A shaky breath was the result and Derek wanted to hear him scream. He knew that would have to wait until they found Sierra and killed her.

Derek kissed Jackson’s throat as the snow wolf’s hips continued to buck up. Derek knew it was futile to fight off the erection that was steadily growing. His eyes widened when Jackson rolled them. He watched as Jackson kissed his way down his torso, eyes open and alert. He knew exactly what he was doing.

Jackson got to his destination and ran his tongue from the base to the tip of Derek’s cock. The earth wolf started at him, curiously wondering if Jackson had an affinity for blowing him. The snow wolf smirked, wrapping his cool fingers around the hot shaft. It was a devilishly wonderful contradiction that he expected would make him go flaccid.

“I want to take all of you this time.”

Derek’s eyes widened as Jackson took the head into his mouth, swirling his tongue around. He watched as more of his cock disappeared into the cool mouth and then reappeared. He shuddered as more vanished each time Jackson went down. He placed a hand on Jackson’s head lightly, which made him look up.

He looked so beautiful with his lips wrapped around a cock, the ever battling blue-silver eyes filled with lust and a dash of innocence. Jackson hummed gently and Derek groaned as the vibrations ran through his dick, not helping with the building pressure. His hips jerked up against his will, but Jackson took it in stride. He didn’t seem bothered that Derek’s hips wanted him to take more than he possibly could.

Jackson moaned as Derek’s hips continued to move. The earth wolf panted, trying hard to stave off the orgasm. He wanted this to last as long as possible. Jackson looked up at him again. _Come for me, Derek. Please,_ he begged and Derek inhaled sharply, his body tensing. He released his load into Jackson’s eager mouth, the snow wolf’s hand milking every last drop from his cock. Derek sank into the bed, watching as Jackson sat back and swallowed, cleaning the corners of his mouth with his thumb.

Derek also noticed the raging hard on that Jackson was sporting. His wolf was screaming at him to make Jackson feel as good as he did. He reached forward and Jackson slipped off the bed, heading into the bathroom. His wolf told him to follow, corner and then pleasure. Derek wanted nothing more than to give into his instinct. He didn’t, though. There had to be a reason why Jackson didn’t want pleasure.

He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. He didn’t want to go into Jackson’s mind and find the reason. He wanted his mate to trust him enough to tell him what the problem was. He got the feeling that wouldn’t happen. Jackson wasn’t exactly forthcoming with his feelings, except for anger and possibly disgust. He didn’t know how to approach the subject, but he knew he had to, since his wolf was telling him that he was selfish and not good enough.

Derek stood and went into the bathroom. He slipped into the shower, jumping back immediately as he was hit by the icy spray. Jackson apologized and turned on the hot water. Once the water was warm, Derek stepped up to Jackson and wrapped his arms around the smaller wolf. He kissed his wet neck, running his hands up and down Jackson’s back.

Jackson sighed happily, lapping the water that ran down Derek’s chest. He looked up and Derek leaned down, kissing the droplets from Jackson’s cheeks. He leaned down further, gazing at those lips that had brought him pleasure not ten minutes ago. He moved his head closer and Jackson pulled back, ducking his head. He pressed his lips to Derek’s throat.

Derek exhaled with disappointment and Jackson looked up. “I did something wrong,” he whispered and ran his hands down Derek’s torso.

“No, Jackson,” Derek murmured and ran his hands through Jackson’s hair. “I just want to kiss you; hold you; make you feel good.”

Jackson pulled away and stepped out of the shower. He wrapped a towel around his hips, going into the bedroom. Derek washed and turned off the water, remaining in the shower for a moment. He shook his head and grabbed a towel, following into the bedroom. He grabbed Jackson before he could leave and threw him onto the bed.

His wolf was telling him to go about it slowly. He couldn’t rush Jackson, despite how much he wanted to. He had never known anyone to reject pleasure, but he needed to know why his mate was doing so. He wanted nothing more than to have Jackson come for him, his name on those beautiful lips.

Derek climbed on top of Jackson, unzipping his hoodie and placing kisses along his chest. The cold body of his mate was enticing. Jackson watched him, whimpering softly the lower Derek went. As soon as his hands were near the button on the jeans, Jackson pulled away and Derek let him do so. He wasn’t going to force Jackson into accepting the pleasure.

“Why won’t you let me touch you?”

“I’m not…” Jackson trailed off and sighed. He pulled his knees to his chest and Derek was by his side immediately, pulling his mate close to him.

Derek gently stroked Jackson’s hair. He had felt the hesitation and there was something else in the words. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to push you, but I had to know how far I could go. I won’t do it again.”

“No, you don’t need to apologize. You’re always apologizing to me, Derek.” Jackson turned his head and pressed his lips to Derek’s softly.

Derek closed his eyes. Dear god, those lips were softer than he ever thought possible. He ran his tongue along the seam and Jackson parted his lips, his tongue coming out and attacking Derek’s. The earth wolf moaned, which was lost in Jackson’s mouth. He ran his tongue along Jackson’s, loving that it tasted like ice.

He curled his tongue around Jackson’s, loving the way the snow wolf gasped as ran his hands over his back, neck and chest – anywhere he could reach. Derek lapped at the roof of Jackson’s mouth, which was just as fresh as falling snow. He really liked the way Jackson sucked on his tongue. Jackson pulled back, breathing heavier than before with a soft flush to his face.

Derek ran his hand down Jackson’s chest and then down to his abdomen. Jackson’s pulse quickened and Derek paused, his hand hovering over the obvious bulge in Jackson’s impossibly tight jeans. The snow wolf shivered and moved back, shaking his head. Derek smiled and kissed him quickly.

As Jackson fixed his clothing and headed downstairs, Derek rubbed his neck. His wolf was disappointed knowing it hadn’t made its mate happy in a sexual sense. Derek tried not to think about the fact that Jackson was denying him. He ran a hand over his body and he was dressed in his usual attire. He joined Jackson, Scott and Vincent in the kitchen. He grabbed a cup of coffee and sat beside Scott, taking one of the bagels that were on a tray.

Scott leaned over the table and took in Jackson’s scent. Derek snarled and ripped the alpha back, throwing him across the kitchen. He moved around the table and rubbed his face into the crook of Jackson’s neck, where Scott had scented him. Jackson blinked and tilted his head allow more access to Derek, as he watched Scott pick himself up and sit down at the table again.

Derek pulled Jackson up and then sat down, wrapping his arms around Jackson as the snow wolf sat in his lap. He figured it was better than taking his gay virginity in front of everyone so they knew who he belonged to. He ran his tongue over the scars on Jackson’s neck as he glared at Scott, not wanting him to even look at his mate.

“Moving on from your little dominance display. We have a she-wolf to worry about that’s been using your mate to murder innocent animals, while she frames him for the human murders that have been happening.” Vincent sipped his tea, glancing at Jackson.

Derek knew that Jackson was uncomfortable, but he wasn’t going to let anyone near his mate. They might hurt him and that wasn’t something he could allow. It was bad enough that he couldn’t protect his mate’s mind, which had his wolf going slightly insane. He wanted to nestle in there and kick her out if she tried to hurt him again.

Jackson tried to stand, but Derek growled and held onto him tighter. Fear shot through Jackson and Derek’s wolf instantly went into gentle mode, nuzzling his neck, which didn’t seem to help. Jackson kept trying to get away and it wasn’t until he felt claws in his neck that Derek released him. Jackson went to the breakfast counter and stared at him with an unreadable expression, but it was one Derek didn’t want to see on his face again.

_I’m sorry, Jackson,_ Derek whispered, tensing under the claws that were still digging into his neck. _I didn’t mean to do that. I was trying to protect you._ Derek glared at the dragon that was making it impossible for him to move.

_I don’t need you to protect me from a werewolf, you psycho!_ Jackson glared and then announced he was going for a run. The claws were removed from Derek’s neck and the earth wolf looked at the talons on Vincent’s fingers that were covered in his blood. He should have known that Vincent would come to Jackson’s rescue. The dragon didn’t seem to know when to stop being someone’s keeper.

“Was that necessary?” Derek demanded as he concentrated on healing the wounds.

“You were scaring him and you didn’t care,” Vincent snapped as he sat down and the talons retracted.

“Even _I_ know that Jackson isn’t one to flaunt his affection in public.” Scott shook his head. “You need to move slowly with him. How is it that I know your mate better than you?”

_Kill him. He touched what’s yours,_ the wolf whispered and Derek forced those thoughts back. It wasn’t Scott’s fault that he had spent more time around Jackson, since they grew up together. Derek knew he had to keep his instincts in check when it came to offering protection and comfort. Jackson was broken and didn’t know how to handle affection like a normal person did.

Derek had no idea how he forgot that piece of information. There was a reason why Jackson became the kanima and then became a wolf-shifter. His psyche was damaged and it was trying to heal the only way it knew how – more lies and masks. It was terrible, but Jackson had no trust in himself or others, especially since he was used to murder by the people he should trust. The same thing was happening with Sierra.

She wanted to make Jackson hurt and she was the one Derek needed to focus on. Scott was not a threat and neither was anyone else in the house. With the exception of Peter, which made Derek frown. He stood and left the kitchen, going upstairs to Peter’s room. He needed to know why his uncle was back in town, before he could begin to deal with the issue of Sierra.

Peter had just woken up. He was in his human form and looked as though he had been through hell. His eyes were exhausted and he was underweight. Clearly, he had been running towards them without a thought of stopping. There had to be a reason for that. Nothing made Peter stop thinking of himself.

“Why have you come back after three years?” Derek asked as he sat on the edge of the bed, gazing down at his hands.

Peter frowned at him, raising an eyebrow. “I was told that you wanted me back for a fight with a she-wolf of the snow variety.” He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “It was a snow wolf that told me. And when I do get back, your little bitch tries to rip my damn throat out!”

Derek snarled and pinned Peter to the bed. “Don’t you dare talk about him like that again,” he warned and waited for Peter to nod before he released the throat. “Yes, it was likely that she was the one that brought you back.”

Why she did, Derek had no idea. It didn’t make sense to bring his uncle back, which would be another one to help take her down. It made no sense to take over Jackson’s mind and have him kill Peter. Derek pulled away from his uncle and sat on the edge of the bed again.

What good could come from killing Peter? What good could come from using Jackson to kill Peter? They would have pieced it together that he wasn’t in his right mind and would have known she was responsible for it. It wouldn’t have taken long, either. Tsuki and Vincent were within the town and they would have picked up on it immediately.

Derek stood and gazed at Peter blankly. It wasn’t his pack, so it was up to Scott to decide if Peter was allowed to stay. He left the room, telling Peter to talk to Scott about staying in the town. It was bad enough that there were two other alphas in town, but neither of them should be a problem for a wolf-shifter. He really needed to know how Sierra was getting into Jackson’s mind without alerting him.

So it came as no surprise when he found Tsuki in the foyer, conversing quietly with something that Derek couldn’t see. The demon waved his hand and the conversation was over. He turned to Derek and offered a small smile, which wasn’t returned. Tsuki didn’t seem to mind as he gestured towards the front door.

They left the house and stood on the front porch, watching as the trees were lighted by the rising sun. Derek didn’t say anything for a long moment. He just looked out at the trees and got the strange sense of _déjà vu._ The same thing had happened three years ago. Tsuki had tried to reveal information without revealing anything. The demon was the master of instilling half an idea in the mind.

“Are we going to survive?” Derek inquired softly, not wanting to be overheard by the others.

Tsuki inhaled deeply. “You have only just accepted Jackson as your mate,” he replied as softly as ever, which didn’t answer Derek’s question in the slightest. “Did you want to survive?”

“Of course,” Derek responded without hesitation and thinking of what Tsuki said first. He had only just accepted Jackson as his mate. He would be damned if he was going to lose him before he could properly claim him. “How bad will it be?”

Tsuki lowered his eyes for a moment. He raised his right hand and Derek frowned when a carousel appeared. He listened to the music that was playing as it spun around. He tilted his head and tried to understand what he was being told when the machine exploded. Derek turned away to protect himself, but quickly realized that none of the burning fragments had touched the house. He looked back at the burning wreckage.

Derek frowned as he saw a wolf ride that resembled Jackson a little too closely burning. The paint was bubbling and peeling back from the plastic that covered the wood, which was melting. His eyes widened and he stared at Tsuki. The demon appeared to be crying without shedding any tears. Tsuki waved his hand and the destroyed ride disappeared. Derek got the message, loud and clear. It was going to be hell trying to take her down.

Tsuki exhaled quietly and tilted his head back. “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,” he quoted and leveled his head. He glanced at Derek from the corner of his eye. “She is very upset that Jackson has remained loyal to you.”

Derek turned his back to the tree, resting against the railing and crossing his arms. “Would Jackson be able to wound her enough for me to kill?”

“No.”

The answer was immediate and firm. Derek figured that Jackson would have a hard time with attacking someone, especially since he realized he was responsible for the deaths of the animals in the clearing. Jackson wouldn’t be able to bring himself to toy with Sierra in order for Derek to end her miserable life. It was a good thing, but Derek had no idea how good of a fighter Sierra was. He had no idea who would be walking away from that fight.

While he had Tsuki answering his questions, he glanced at the demon. “Is Jackson going to leave me again, after we’ve defeated Sierra?”

“He is your mate.”

Derek sighed. He was well aware of that fact, but that didn’t answer his question. Jackson was his mate three years ago, as well. That didn’t stop him from leaving and then trying to take another mate, even if it was so he could forget. Derek lowered his eyes. He had been really hard on Jackson for leaving without saying anything. Jackson had tried explaining why he left, but he was just as bad as Derek was when it came to explanations.

Jackson… Derek closed his eyes. Jackson didn’t want to fight anyone or take the life of anyone. Derek knew it would be selfish to demand him do something about Sierra, since she was there because of him. He needed to be the alpha that he never was and help Jackson get over this mate. Derek opened his eyes and stared at the decking beneath his feet.

“You might want to be gentle with him, too,” Tsuki continued as the sun crept higher in the sky. “He is not ready for your overprotective behavior. I know your wolf is telling you to claim him, but you need to think about this as a human. You can break what is already broken and he will leave again. When that happens, I will not interfere again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! So thanks for reading. I'm still messed up on painkillers for this story, so I'm sorry if the chapter sucked. I know the story gets a little more messed up in the coming chapters. Apparently painkillers and Bon Jovi's (You Want To) Make a Memory make for a very sappy chapter in the future. Still waiting on a mate for Stiles, as well!  
> Until the next one, my lovelies!  
> Peace.
> 
> Auska.


	7. Chapter VII

**~Breathing Angel Style~**

**By:** Aerys Krystie.

oOo

There were so many things that were wrong with him. Jackson knew this was true, long before he decided to become a werewolf and woke up in a living nightmare. He honestly had no idea what to do about fixing his mind, though. He knew it would take time.

As much as he wanted to mate with Derek, he knew he couldn’t. He wasn’t good enough for Derek. He could do all that he could for the earth wolf, but they couldn’t be mated yet. He had no idea how his mate was going to react. After being denied for so long, Jackson had no idea how Derek was going to react to knowing he didn’t want to be claimed.

He stopped running as he reached the clearing. He needed to talk to Derek about it, as he didn’t want their tenuous trust to be ruined because Derek felt he was keeping secrets. There were some things that he wasn’t ready to talk about and this was one of those. He needed to, though and that was annoying. He stood in the center of the clearing and glared at the sky.

Why couldn’t he be normal, for once? He was turned into a kanima and then he became a wolf-shifter. He was starting to believe that Vincent was right about him. His life was going to be one fuck up after another. He didn’t want to know what the next one was going to be. He figured it had something to do with the fact that his psyche was shattered, thanks to Sierra’s interference.

A snow storm started as Jackson continued to gaze angrily at the sky. He closed his eyes as the snow fell, a small smile appearing on his face. He opened his eyes and held out his hand, watching as the snow gathered and didn’t melt. He looked over his shoulder when he heard someone approaching and smiled at Isaac. The werewolf was cautious about going to him and Jackson understood. Things had been weird around the house since his return.

Isaac didn’t say anything. A shiver ran through the werewolf and he pulled his jacket around his shoulders a little tighter. Jackson wanted to say something to him, but he couldn’t think of anything. Instead, Isaac gazed at him and Jackson heard the words in his mind. _Hurt Derek and we’ll find a way of taking you out._ Jackson nodded and the snow fell harder.

Jackson knew that returning to Beacon Hills was going to be a bad idea. Everyone had seemed so pleased to have him back, until they remembered that he had left them. He had no idea it would hurt everyone so much. He honestly hadn’t thought about anything, except running from the pain. He couldn’t be around Derek if he wasn’t going to accept him. Why would anyone torture themselves like that? If they were given the option of leaving behind everything that caused them pain, they would have taken the offer.

He wasn’t given that offer, though. He was just grateful to be around his own kind and that helped him forget about Derek for a few days of the week. His mind would always wander back to what his previous alpha was doing. He never thought that Derek would pine for him, though. He hadn’t pined for Derek, so he figured that Derek was stronger when it came to his feelings. Of course, Jackson had a lifetime of experience when it came to hiding what he was really feeling.

At least, he did until the werewolves returned.

The snow was now a foot thick around him and Isaac. Jackson raised his eyes, making out each shape of every snowflake. He cupped his hands. They were filled quickly with the rapidly falling snow. He turned to Isaac and blew the snow into his face, grinning as Isaac swatted at the small pieces of ice. There werewolf narrowed his eyes and Jackson wrapped an arm around his neck, bringing it down and ruffling his hair. Isaac cried out and tried to move away.

Jackson froze when he felt the presence. He released Isaac and stared to the left, moving to stand protectively in front of the werewolf. He wasn’t going to responsible for Isaac’s death. He told Isaac to go back to the house. Isaac hesitated and Jackson shifted into his wolf form. He snapped at Isaac’s legs and the werewolf nodded, running back the way he came.

The snow stopped falling. By the time the last flake had fallen, Sierra was standing five feet from Jackson in her wolf form. She was four feet and three inches at the shoulder. Her white coat shimmered silver and violet in the light. Her eyes swirled between the same colors. Jackson watched her closely as she folded her ears back and lowered her head, snarling at him.

_I know where to find him, Jackson. You can’t hide him from me._ She snickered and Jackson growled. _You’ve never been able to beat me._ Jackson shook the snow from his coat and advanced on her. She tilted her head, but decided to circle him. He didn’t know if he could get back to the house in time to warn Derek that she was starting to make her move, but he wasn’t going to risk it. He would rather go down fighting rather than run away like a coward.

Sierra laughed and lunged for him. Jackson expected her to start the fight. Despite the fact that she was smaller than and not quite as fast as him wasn’t a problem for her. She was far more vicious than any of the other wolves in the pack. She growled as her teeth sank into Jackson’s ruff. He twisted his neck, trying to find her throat. He dropped his head and bit her leg hard enough to break the bone. She howled in pain and limped back for a moment, glaring at him.

Jackson walked up to her. She was a lot weaker than he remembered her being. Normally, she could work through any pain if it meant that she could get a kill in. He looked down at her and she cowered from him. Something was seriously wrong. Jackson knew he should go in for the kill and be done with it, but he wasn’t a murderer, despite what he had done.

However, Sierra’s howl had brought the others running. Jackson’s eyes widened as they stopped in the clearing and stared at him. Sierra whimpered and tried to move away. Jackson growled when he caught the pheromone she was releasing. It was the same scent that surrounded him when he had tried to court her. She was going to turn the pack against him, if she could.

Jackson was shoved out of the way, a stray branch piercing his right shoulder. He saw that Liam had blindsided him with an attack. He was standing in front of Sierra protectively and Jackson told him to get out of the way. He had no problem going through a werewolf to get to his prey. Sierra’s voice whispered through Jackson’s mind and he noticed that her pheromone was getting stronger.

Liam was getting more insane the longer he was around her. Jackson’s eyes flashed white and a stream of pure oxygen was funneled at Liam. He wrinkled his nose and stepped back. When he raised his head, he blinked and looked around. Jackson smirked mentally. Sierra was going to have a hard time trying that trick again and Jackson would be damned if he let her get away with him.

Sierra’s eyes slid over to Derek and Jackson blocked her path towards him. _Stop with the act, bitch. No one here is going to fall for it again,_ Jackson told her and she cocked her head to the side. Jackson shook his head, trying to ignore the fluttering that was happening at the edges of his mind. He could feel her brushing around his barriers. She was trying to find his weak spot and Jackson knew where it was, but he would have to lower his barrier in order to shove her out.

Closing his eyes, Jackson lowered his shields and shoved Sierra out. She snapped back into her body and convulsed as he sent her back with a bunch of foxglove. Her hackles went up and she glared, suddenly not appearing so frail. The snow fell harder and the werewolves were blinded. Jackson knew that Derek wouldn’t be able to see through it for much longer, but he could easily make out Sierra’s body as she circled him.

The growling and snarling were the only sounds of the fight that the werewolves could pick up. Jackson tried to keep Sierra away from them and Liam. The young beta was still trying to figure out what happened to him and why he would attack someone for a she-wolf. He jumped back when fighting wolves appeared in front of him and made his way to Scott and the others.

One decent attack was all it took for Jackson to know he had lost the fight. Sierra bit his right hind leg, which released a yelp of pain from Jackson. His already injured shoulder wasn’t helping him much in the fight. Her teeth sank into his ruff and she threw him to the side. A spear of ice pierced his injured shoulder again and Jackson growled. He snapped off the spear and put the pressure on his right leg as he limped forward. He couldn’t allow her to get near Derek.

Sierra tilted her head. _You actually_ love _him?_ She threw back her head and let out a strange coughing sound that Jackson quickly realized was laughter. Her body shook for a moment and then a black-pink liquid trickled from her mouth. The snow slowly stopped falling as she tried to cough up the poison that Jackson had sent her. She raised her head and then ran off into the forest. Jackson knew he couldn’t follow her; he was too injured to even think of moving.

The snow surrounding them was tainted with blood and Jackson turned towards the others. They all looked shell-shocked. Jackson limped towards them, grateful when Isaac picked him up. Jackson glanced at Derek and saw that he was still staring after Sierra. If he wanted to follow her and try his hand at killing her, Jackson wished him well. He wasn’t in any position to help him, despite wanting to rip her throat out. For the first time since he became a wolf-shifter, Jackson wished he wasn’t an omega.

He was taken back to the house and up to his room. He gratefully sank into his bed and closed his eyes, trying to focus the last of his energy on healing. He felt Isaac lying behind him, hugging him tightly. In a few minutes, Stiles was in front of him, hugging him as well. Allison and Scott managed to get onto the bed, gently stroking his fur. He could feel their concern and their pain that they couldn’t help him. He loved that they cared so much about him and couldn’t believe he had caused them so much pain by leaving.

Liam and Malia hovered in the doorway for a moment, until Scott told them to come in. Malia inquired as to why they were surrounding Jackson and Stiles said none of them understood it. For some reason, since Jackson was fighting the fever three years ago, it just felt right to be around him and hug him when he was injured. After all, he was absolutely adorable in his wolf form and no one liked seeing an animal in pain. Jackson tenderly nuzzled Stiles’ cheek, earning a grin from the human.

The new members of the pack didn’t understand it completely, but they climbed onto the foot of bed and carefully positioned themselves around Jackson’s hind legs. They fell into a comfortable silence and Jackson knew that Allison, Isaac and Scott were asleep. Liam and Malia were getting there, but Stiles was staring at him with pity in his brown eyes. _I’m sorry I was so hard on you._ Jackson gave the illusion that he was shaking his head. He understood why Stiles acted the way he did. He didn’t want any of them apologizing for acting on their feelings.

Jackson licked Stiles’ cheek. The human huffed in mock irritation, but closed his eyes and fell asleep. Jackson raised his head and looked at the werewolves that surrounded him and smiled, lowering his head again. It was amazing to be surrounded by the pack, even if it did bring up memories of when he would slumber with the snow wolves. He exhaled quietly and closed his eyes, deciding he should join the others with the nap. If he was lucky, when he woke up he would be mostly healed and he could help Derek hunt down Sierra.

 

oOo

 

When Jackson woke, he was in his human form and he was on the cushions he had set up on the floor. His left hand was cuffed and he was still surrounded by the others. They had followed him down to the floor, in the same positions as before. He undid the cuff and sat up. Isaac and Stiles fell from his body, but neither of them woke. He gingerly pulled his legs out from under Liam and Malia. Malia opened her eyes and gazed at him blankly for all of four seconds and then fell asleep again.

Jackson made his way out of the center of them and grinned, watching as they moved closer to each other. He figured they needed an actual room for that. He made his way downstairs and made himself a fruit salad as well as a cup of peppermint tea. He went into the living room, raising an eyebrow when he saw Tsuki in there, watching some black and white horror movie. The demon said nothing as Jackson sat beside him on the sofa, tucking a foot under his leg.

He ate his fruit in silence, staring at the Vincent Price movie. He grinned as he heard the man’s voice and realized he had forgotten about his love for Vincent Price cinema. As the movie drew to a close, Tsuki stood and left the room. Jackson finished his tea, sitting back and waiting for the next movie to come on. His eyes lit up when he saw that it was ‘The House of Wax.’ It had terrified him as a child, especially when his parents did take him to a wax museum. He screamed like he was being tortured

Nowadays, Jackson could quite happily watch it and enjoy the performance from the late Mister Price. He settled back into the sofa, created a blanket and threw it across his legs. He made a bowl of popcorn, which he started eating as the movie began. He placed a popped kernel in his mouth one at a time, eyes glued to the screen, heart pounding in his chest as he remembered the fear he felt from his childhood. A grin spread over his face.

The grin dropped and a scream left his mouth when someone touched his shoulder. The popcorn went flying and he jumped to his feet, staring at the asshat that would sneak up on someone. Derek tilted his head slightly, an amused twinkle in his eyes as Jackson tried to catch his breath and get his heart to resume a normal pace. He growled and punched Derek. The earth wolf caught his wrist and forced his fingers open. Once their fingers were laced, Jackson found that he couldn’t remain angry at his mate.

Derek pulled him close and kissed his forehead, his spare hand sliding down the back of Jackson’s head to rest on his neck. Jackson glanced at the spilled popcorn and it disappeared. A fresh batch appeared in the bowl and Jackson dragged Derek down onto the sofa. Jackson rested against the arm of the sofa, while Derek sat in the middle. The snow wolf had the bowl of popcorn against his abdomen, which forced Derek to lean over him every time he wanted some. Eventually, Derek just rested against Jackson’s back.

By the time the movie ended, Derek was asleep on Jackson’s shoulder. The others stirred upstairs, which forced Derek to open his eyes. Jackson told him to go back to sleep, but Derek shook his head and sat up. He ran his hands through his hair, getting to his feet and stretching out his back. Jackson exhaled sharply and stood. He pushed Derek down and threw the blanket at him, ordering him to sleep again and walked out of the living room, closing the doors and sealing them with ice.

There was a small pang of guilt, but Jackson pushed it back and went upstairs. Scott and Stiles were sitting up, rubbing their eyes. Allison and Isaac were snuggled together, the same with Liam and Malia. None of them seemed bothered by the fact that their alpha was awake, though Jackson figured that Scott told them to remain asleep. He beckoned them to follow him downstairs, where he had an array of sugary snacks set out, which were entirely vegan. He grinned as the pair shadowed him downstairs. They sat in the kitchen, eating cakes and ice-cream as they spoke quietly.

It wasn’t long before the topic of the conversation turned to Sierra. Jackson really didn’t want to talk about her, but she did pose a threat to the pack and that wasn’t something he could allow. He quickly explained that he would be teaching Derek everything that Sierra had taught him. It would only be a crash course, since he didn’t have the luxury of spending three years with the earth wolf. Still, it was better than nothing and that was all that mattered. Derek had spent his entire life as a werewolf, so he would have natural talent to dip into.

Stiles reached for the triple chocolate cake, spraying it with whipped cream. “What’s her deal? I thought she was here to take on Derek, but she fought you instead.”

Jackson lowered his eyes, pushing around a piece of red velvet cake. He finally ate it, giving himself more time to think of the right words. “She is here to take out Derek, which would force me into continuing the mating ritual with her. However, I can’t allow that until Derek has had some kind of training in her fighting style. She’s a dirty fighter and she _will_ use any trick she can to win.”

“So…” Scott trailed off, looking down at the caramel cheesecake in front of him. “…you thought it would be a good idea to take her on, alone? You do realize that Derek is probably the best fighter here. He’s had the most experience when it comes to defending his territory.”

“Speaking of territory,” Stiles said around a large mouthful of cake. He swallowed quickly. “What happened to that Aussie guy? I thought he was meant to be helping us with that xylomancer.”

Jackson frowned. He hadn’t thought of that. He had gotten the information he needed from Mark, which made Kal basically useless to them. He did heal Jackson from the burn, but he was certain anyone could have done that. He shrugged in answer to Stiles’ question. Kal had said he wasn’t needed anymore and left the house. He hadn’t been of much use, except to speak with Vincent about some things and drink _a lot_ of beer. Jackson’s liver ached at the amount of alcohol the unknown shifter had consumed in the few hours he was in the house for.

It never did occur to him to ask how Mark had come across the knowledge of the xylomancer.

“Pity,” Stiles mumbled and finished off his slice of cake. He reached for the caramel cheesecake. “I would’ve liked to add him to the bestiary I’m working on. Do we know what type of shifter he was? I mean, I’ve gotten all I can on snow, earth and fire wolves.” He cut a large slice of the cheesecake and grinned, his eyes dancing under the lights of the kitchen. “This is the best way to talk, by the way.”

Jackson and Scott glanced at each other, smirking. “No, I don’t know what kind of shifter he was,” Jackson answered and took the blueberry pie. “All I know is that he was from Western Australia, but there are a lot of native animals there. He could have been a possum or something.”

“Or a sugar glider,” Scott offered as he brought out his phone and pulled up a picture of the mentioned animal. He showed it to Jackson. The snow wolf laughed.

“Something that adorable could _not_ be a shifter. Just look at the little nose!” The laughter was cut short when Jackson and Scott looked at the entrance. “Is that Danny and Ethan?” Jackson asked as he stood and opened the front door. His face broke out into a grin as he saw his best friend. “You’re just in time for cake.”

Danny’s face lit up and jogged up to the door, hugging Jackson tightly before he slipped inside. Ethan nodded and followed his mate. Jackson heard the ice on the living room doors break and figured that Derek _really_ want to join them. He shook his head and went to the kitchen, sitting beside Danny. He watched as his friend went straight for the apple pie. Ethan looked torn between the cherry pie and the triple chocolate cake. Jackson told him to take a slice of both. The alpha shrugged and did so.

Derek joined them, taking the seat beside Jackson. Once Danny and Ethan had finished their first slices, Ethan looked at Jackson. “We were visited by a wolf-shifter. She said she was a friend of yours.”

What little color Jackson did have drained from his face. He lowered his eyes for a moment, trying not to beat himself up too much. He should have known that Sierra would go after those that he cared about, but he never thought she would hunt down his scent to see who he visited. He always expected her to hone in on Derek and focus on him completely. He raised his eyes; ready to apologize for whatever it was she did. He hadn’t smelled blood on either of them, but that didn’t mean she didn’t do something bad.

Danny shook his head. He had always been able to read Jackson like a book. “She didn’t do anything. She just asked about you and what you were up to. She said that you were her mate.” He raised an eyebrow in question and Jackson shook his head.

Jackson waved his hand and gave everyone a cup of coffee. “I was going to mate with her, but our pack was attacked by a xylomancer before the ritual could even begin.” He lowered his eyes, turning from Derek slightly as he still felt the shame. He tensed when he felt Derek’s hand on his lower back. “I thought I had killed her, since she went insane from the eucalyptus poisoning her, not before she managed to poison me. I came back here…”

With a sigh, Jackson stood and moved into the actual kitchen. He paced from the door to the table. He shook his head, trying to get his thoughts into some kind of order. Nothing seemed to be making sense. What was the point of going to Danny and Ethan, jus to tell them that she was going to be his mate? Did she think that she could recruit them to help her? Telling them wouldn’t wedge them apart. It was highly possible that she wanted them to come to him and let him know she could get to anyone that she wanted.

Jackson ran his hands through his hair, resting them on his neck as he paced. He jumped slightly when he walked into Derek. Blinking, Jackson stepped around him and continued with his pacing. He really didn’t want to stop. If he stopped, he might lose his concentration. He sighed when Derek wrapped his arms around him and took him out the backdoor. The others shrugged and started eating the desserts that were on the table, trying to pretend they weren’t listening in.

“What’s gotten into you?” Derek asked as he placed Jackson on his feet. “Why does it bother you so much that she talked to Danny and Ethan?”

Jackson rolled his eyes. “How would you feel if your psychotic ex-almost mate talked to your best friend and his mate? She’s toying with me. She wants me to know that I can’t keep anyone safe. If I watch over Danny and Ethan, then I leave you alone. If I stay with you, then I leave Danny and Ethan alone.” His breath came out in short bursts.

Derek shook his head and Jackson knew he was going into a panic attack. He was getting worse than McCall before the bite. He couldn’t be responsible for the death of Danny or Ethan. It would destroy the other if one of them was ripped to shreds. The very idea of being responsible closed off his throat and he fell to his hands and knees, staring at the ground and trying to calm down. It would be almost like the kanima incident, where he was the puppet, but not the puppet master that was pulling the strings. Yet he knew what would happen if he didn’t stop Sierra.

_Calm down, Jackson,_ Derek whispered as he got a knee beside Jackson and rubbed his back. It took moments for the others to come outside and Jackson felt his face flush. Nearly everyone got to bear witness to his panic attack. He closed his eyes and tried to force his throat to open and get the air in. He raised his head when Stiles knelt in front of him. He gasped when he was slapped. Derek growled and pinned Stiles down by the throat, glaring at the human.

Jackson pulled Derek back and Stiles sat up, gasping and rubbing his throat. Jackson thanked Stiles for his help and dragged a still glaring and growling Derek back into the house. The moment they were through the door, Derek pulled free and inspected Jackson’s cheek. Jackson moved his head away. It wasn’t going to bruise, though it did still sting. He shook his head and sat down at the table, grabbing a slice of the caramel cheesecake. He knew it was stupid to eat his feelings, but he couldn’t think of anything else to do.

Once he had finished off the caramel cheesecake, he glanced at Derek. The earth wolf was resting against the breakfast counter, gazing at him pensively. “Where did you disappear to for a few hours?” Jackson inquired as his eyes moved to the ceiling. “You weren’t with us for the pack snuggle.”

“I found Sierra and asked her what it would take to have her disappear without dying.” Derek shrugged and crossed his arms. “In order for her to go, I need to die. I didn’t agree with that and tried to kill her then. For a poisoned wolf, she’s rather fast and extremely vicious.”

Jackson nodded and grabbed the cherry pie, just as the others entered. Stiles seemed fine, though he did shoot a scathing look at Derek. He sat down and grabbed the triple chocolate cake, spraying it with whipped cream and drizzling chocolate syrup on it. Jackson’s teeth were aching at the sight of all that sugar and he shook his head, handing the pie over to Ethan. He tried not to think about how much fun they were having before Derek showed up at the table.

Danny mentioned that the apple pie was amazing and Jackson raised an eyebrow. He was never a fan of the apple pie, despite knowing how un-American that made him. Danny held out his spoon, which had a piece of the pie on it that was smothered in custard. Jackson sighed and ate it, grimacing and swallowing without chewing. He still didn’t like cooked apples. He stuck his tongue out and glared at Danny for a moment and then downed his coffee, grateful when it washed away the taste of the pie. Danny laughed and shook his head.

Jackson stood, messing up Danny’s hair as he said he needed to head upstairs. Scott and Stiles both raised eyebrows at him. He didn’t say anything more, but beckoned Derek to follow him. Danny and Ethan smirked at him knowingly and Jackson rolled his eyes. He said nothing as he jogged upstairs to Derek’s room. He waited for his mate.

The moment the door was closed, Jackson pulled Derek to the center of the room and removed his mate’s shirt and jacket. He forced back a growl when he could smell Sierra on him. He walked around; stopping at Derek’s back and gazing at the small scar on his right shoulder. He kissed it, running his fingers down Derek’s neck and across his shoulder. His hand moved down to Derek’s hip and slipped just into the waistband. He reached up and placed his lips to Derek’s neck, licking the skin.

He pushed Derek onto the bed, crawling on top of him and kissing that amazing abdomen. He ran a hand down Derek’s thigh and his jeans and shoes vanished. Jackson made his way up to Derek’s throat, closing his eyes as he inhaled his scent. He opened his eyes and looked up at Derek. The earth wolf was watching him with contentment, as though having Jackson replace Sierra’s scent with his own was a dream come true for him. Derek raised a hand and placed it on Jackson’s head, massaging the scalp.

Jackson smiled, nuzzling Derek’s cheek. “If you ever come back smelling like another wolf again, I will pull your balls out through your throat,” he threatened sweetly. The hand stopped for a moment and Derek tensed. “I only give out one warning. Just like how you only ask nicely once.”

Derek’s hand moved to Jackson’s neck. He gripped it tightly and the snow wolf’s head snapped up. “Then let me tell you something. If you don’t let me claim you soon, I will take you by force.” The hand moved to Jackson’s cheek, cupping it for a moment and then lowered so Derek could run his thumb over Jackson’s lower lip.

Jackson kissed the thumb and lowered his head, pressing his lips to Derek’s gently. The kiss wasn’t deepened and it didn’t become some power play. Jackson pulled and rolled to the side, resting his head on Derek’s shoulder and closing his eyes. He loved being around the pack when sleeping, but he enjoyed it even more when he was with his mate. His clothing disappeared and a pair of white boxer briefs appeared. His hand lazily stroked Derek’s smooth chest, while Derek’s thumb rubbed his shoulder.

For a long moment, Jackson could forget the problems they were facing. He was certain that they had appeased the xylomancer as there hadn’t been anymore attacks on them. He could have sworn that Tsuki or Vincent would have told them if the xylomancer was gone. He smiled and mentally shook his head. Neither of them were the type to reveal anything. He opened his eyes when he felt Derek’s hand slide down his back and land on the bed. He glanced up and saw that the earth wolf was asleep.

Jackson smiled and pulled the covers over their bodies. Derek inhaled deeply and turned onto his side, pulling Jackson against him. A hand slid down and rested on his hip. Jackson nuzzled into Derek’s chest and closed his eyes, letting his body have a sugar crash. Hopefully when they woke up, they could get straight into the training aspect of this battle. He needed to teach Derek as much as he could, especially if he already lost to her once. The second time would mean his death and Jackson wasn’t going to allow that to happen.

 

oOo

 

Scott walked out of the house and stood on the front porch. He watched as the trees swayed in the light breeze that blew through them. He glanced to his right and raised an eyebrow when he saw Tsuki standing there. He honestly thought he would have seen the demon when he walked out. Tsuki practically glowed in the darkness he was that pale. It might also have something to do with his name, but Scott wasn’t out there to think about the ironies that surrounded him.

He had no idea why he was out there, actually. It just seemed liked a good idea to enjoy the night, especially after all the sugar he just consumed. Danny and Ethan had asked to spend the night and Scott showed them to a spare bedroom. Ethan had asked questions about what it was like to have wolf-shifters in the pack. Scott honestly didn’t notice much of a difference, except none of them had to cook or do the dishes. It was making them lazy, but it was such a convenience that he didn’t want it to stop.

Stiles had gone upstairs to crash out, which left Scott alone to stare out at the dark forest surrounding them. He wasn’t ready to sleep, especially since they had an insane wolf-shifter to worry about. He knew he wouldn’t be any kind of challenge to her, but he couldn’t let her roam the town. She was hell bent on framing Jackson for the murders that were happening, if what Derek told him was anything to go by. Never before had he felt utterly useless. At least when it came to the doppelgangers, he could do something to help. If Sierra attacked him, he would only be good at standing there and accepting the punishment she dealt out.

Scott sighed and frowned when a hand touched his shoulder. He glanced at Tsuki. The demon wasn’t paying any attention to him. Scott crossed his arms and stared at one tree. He knew that he should call his mom and make sure that she was safe. He couldn’t see any reason why Sierra would target him, since he wasn’t the one that stole her mate-to-be. It wasn’t as though Jackson was close to Scott’s mother or Stiles’ dad or Allison’s father. All of them should be safe, but Jackson had seemed concerned for their safety.

He accepted the phone that Tsuki handed him and dialed his mother’s number. She answered on the second ring and Scott felt relief flood his body. He made sure that nothing strange had happened and she told him that it was a basic night. She then told him to hang up and get some sleep. Scott said he loved her and hung up, but he made no indication that he was going to bed. There was something strange about the night. He tapped the phone against his chin, glancing at Tsuki when he lowered his hand.

Scott’s attention was drawn to someone dropping in the front. Vincent shook his hair back and walked up the stairs. He stood beside Scott and lit a cigarette. He could still see Vincent in his animal form. It had shocked the hell out of him. He really didn’t believe that Vincent was a dragon-shifter, merely because dragons were a mythical creature. It was still amazing to see a man grow and stretch until he became a dragon. Vincent was taller than all of them, but that didn’t mean that he would be a dragon.

Still, he was a dragon and Stiles had been stunned into silence as they stared up at the large beast. The scales shimmered crimson and emerald in the light, much like Vincent’s hair did when he dropped his magic. He had spoken to them in a deep voice that echoed through his heads and vibrated through their bones. Scott knew he was moments from fainting. The teeth were at least a foot long and pearly white, as though Vincent took great care of his oral hygiene. Then he had seen the wicked looking barb on Vincent’s tail and Scott decided he really didn’t want to mess with him.

Scott was pulled from his memories when he heard a sob. He frowned and glanced at the demon on his left and the dragon on his right. Neither of them appeared to have uttered the sound, but they had registered that it happened. Vincent was staring to the left, as was Tsuki. They made no move to see what it was as they probably already knew. At least Tsuki would know, as he claimed to know nearly everything that would happen to them, but it was against the rules for him to reveal anything that could be changed.

The sob sounded again and it was breathless. Scott had just stepped off the last step when a girl came crashing through. She stumbled and landed in a heap by Scott’s feet. He crouched down and looked her over. She was human, covered in scratches from the woods, but didn’t appear to be seriously injured. She raised her head and her blue eyes were wide with fear. She looked at Vincent and Tsuki. The duo cocked their heads to the side as they gazed back.

Scott looked over his shoulder when he heard movement in the house. Allison, Ethan and Isaac came out to see what was happening. The others apparently decided to stay asleep. Allison’s eyes widened and she ran to the girl that had backed away from Scott and was cowering. She tried talking softly, but the girl was inconsolable. She gripped her messy brown hair, rocking back and forth as she muttered something about white being everywhere she looked.

They couldn’t take her inside, as she would wake everyone and neither Derek nor Jackson cared who saw their eyes. The last thing they needed was for this girl to freak out even more about swirling eyes. Scott was thankful that Vincent rarely dropped his magic, especially when he was around new people. It had taken him six months to show off his eyes to Liam and Malia.

Tsuki walked up to the girl and knelt in front of her. Scott watched as Tsuki took hold of her wrists and lowered her arms. He frowned. The girl had screamed when Allison tried to touch her. Scott was aware that Tsuki had some kind of special power when it came to those that were in pain, but he never thought he would see it first hand. The demon tilted his head and relaxed his back so he was slouching slightly. The girl was staring at him, eyes wide and frightened.

_Scott, please grab a blanket from the closet._ Scott nodded and ran into the house. He went to the linen closet in the hallway and grabbed a blanket. He took it outside, just as Ethan and Allison came inside to make the girl something to drink. Tsuki took the blanket and wrapped it around the girl’s shoulders. She raised her head, tears rolling down her cheeks. She stared at Scott and he smiled kindly, kneeling beside Tsuki.

“I’m Scott,” he said softly. “What’s your name?”

The girl cleared her throat. “Sarah. Sarah Kanter.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sarah. Did you want to come inside, where it’s warmer? My friends are making you something hot to drink.”

Sarah glanced at Tsuki. The demon nodded and stood, offering his hand to Sarah. She accepted it and was led into the house by Tsuki. Scott watched them go. He noticed the way that Vincent and Tsuki exchanged looks, as though they were having a conversation with just a simple gaze. It ended a few moments later when Tsuki went inside. Vincent’s eyes flickered to Scott and the dragon smirked, beckoning to the werewolf. Scott sighed and joined Vincent on the porch.

“I’m about to have another member of the pack, aren’t I?” Scott stood upwind from Vincent as the dragon lit another cigarette. He rubbed his neck and sighed again. “How do they always find us?”

Vincent turned his back to the trees and crossed his legs at the ankles. “You said it yourself when you were talking to Jax. You offered the bite to Liam so he had somewhere to fit in. Derek did the same thing with his pack, with the exception of Jax. He really just wanted to bed him, until the kanima shit hit the fan. You accepted Malia into your pack so she had somewhere to belong. You have Stiles hanging around, because he has no where else to go. Miss Kanter has nowhere to go. Her parents were just murdered tonight.”

Scott blinked and looked towards the door. He had no idea how Vincent knew that much about Sarah, but he was closely connected with Tsuki and the demon had the ability to slip into people’s minds. It shouldn’t be of any real surprise that Vincent could do the same thing, since Derek had the same ability. However, he had to make sure that Sarah was a good fit for his pack. He didn’t want anyone feeling out of place around her, especially since her parents were dead.

He nodded at Vincent and went inside, finding Sarah with Allison and Ethan in the kitchen. She was shoveling some kind of stew into her mouth. She was acting like a starving animal and Allison was trying to get her to slow down, in case her body rejected it. Sarah shook her head and said that she hadn’t had anything to eat in a week. Scott and Ethan discretely sniffed at her. Neither of them had noticed the usual scent that surrounds a homeless person. She wasn’t homeless and there wasn’t any reason for to actually lie. However, her heart didn’t skip a beat. So she was either like Jackson and could lie without trying or she was telling the truth and her family had hit a rough patch.

“How old are you?” Allison asked as she stood and grabbed a bottle of water.

“I’m sixteen next month,” Sarah replied between mouthfuls. She cracked open the water and drained the contents in seconds. She stared at Ethan and Scott. “What are you two? There’s something different about the two of you.”

Ethan looked at Scott. He was asking if they should tell her, but Scott wasn’t so sure if that was a good idea. He also had no idea how she could tell that there was something different about them. She hadn’t said anything about Tsuki or Vincent and they were weird compared to him and Ethan. There was something different about her. As much as he wanted to say that, he really didn’t want to sink that level of childishness.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Scott said with a shrug. “You’re a long way from the town. Were you chased into the forest?”

Sarah nodded and drank the tea in front of her. “I was chased by this massive wolf. And I mean it was _huge_. It was like a foot shorter than me. I’ve never seen a wolf that as tall as a human before. I know that wolves are meant to be big, but are they normally that big?” She shrugged. “I guess it got lost on its way to Yellowstone.”

Scott blinked and pulled Ethan out of the kitchen and towards the front of the house. “What do you smell on her?”

Ethan glanced back at the kitchen. “She isn’t telling us the full truth. Something happened, but I don’t think she’s ready to talk about it. She needs time to get her mind working.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “How could she know we’re different?”

Scott held his hands up. He honestly had no idea how to even begin deciphering that. All he knew was that a wolf had driven Sarah into the forest. It was highly likely that Sierra was that wolf. What didn’t make sense was that Sierra had driven Sarah to the forest. He couldn’t understand it and he really didn’t want to. There was one major crisis that he had to think about and that was Sierra. Whatever was happening with Sarah and her murdered parents wasn’t much of a problem for him, until it became one.

Movement on the stairs got his attention. Scott raised an eyebrow when he saw Jackson walking down in a pair of boxer briefs, scratching his lower back and yawning. When he closed his mouth, he smiled and nodded at Scott and shot a warning glare at Ethan. Before either of them even realized what was happening, Jackson was walking into the kitchen with his eyes swirling between blue and silver. There was a pause and then a scream. Scott sighed. Showtime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If not, then I still blame the painkillers. I can't feel my face or hands! It's awesome! Anyways, leave a comment and or kudos and the next one will out soon!  
> Until the next one, my lovelies!  
> Peace.
> 
> Auska.


	8. Chapter VIII

**~Breathing Angel Style~**

**By:** Aerys Krystie.

oOo

Jackson ducked as a plate was thrown at him from the new girl. He never expected to be attacked while he was in his underwear. He stood up and glared at the girl that was trying to kill him with whatever china she could get her hands on. She was screaming nonsense about wolves with eyes like his and Jackson had no idea what the hell was happening. He growled and slapped away the glass she threw. It had been cute in the beginning, now he was getting annoyed.

Allison and Scott were trying to calm the girl down. It would seem that her name was Sarah and she arrived minutes before Jackson came downstairs. No one seemed able to get through to her and Jackson was trying hard to keep his temper under control. Nothing was working, so he pinned her to the wall, trapping her wrists under binds of ice. She screamed bloody murder and everyone woke up, coming downstairs to see what was happening.

Jackson’s anger spiked again when he saw that Derek was woken by her insanity. He flicked his hand and ice covered her mouth, which let silence fall over the room. He stepped up to her and noticed how she whimpered and tried to move away from him. Jackson just narrowed his eyes. He was being strangely nice to her, which was something he didn’t do easily. He was extremely wary of women, especially new ones that threw shit at him.

“I don’t know who you are and I don’t give two fucks, either. You woke up my mate because you’re either stupid, insane or both. You attacked me for the same reason. If you _ever_ raise your hand to me again, I will rip it off and freeze your throat. Am I clear?”

The girl nodded and Jackson stepped back. He didn’t remove his ice from her body. He really just wanted her to suffer a little more, which didn’t last as long as he wanted. Vincent ordered him to release her and Jackson rolled his eyes, waving his hand. The ice disappeared and the girl ran into Allison’s arms, hugging her and crying. Allison was trying to be angry with Jackson, but everyone could see that it wasn’t working. In a way, Jackson did have a point and a right to defend himself.

Jackson hadn’t done anything to the girl when she flew off the handle and started throwing anything she could at him. He was surprisingly dignified about the attack. Jackson knew the others were waiting for him to kill her, but he wasn’t that person. He just wanted to threaten her a little. The girl didn’t have to know that he wasn’t a murderer and that he wouldn’t actually live up to his threat. The less she knew about him, the more effective the threat would be.

In the meantime, Jackson walked over to Derek and tried to get him to head back to bed. Derek shook his head, deciding that there was more excitement happening in the kitchen than there was in the bed. Jackson tried not to glare. He was grateful that Derek decided to pull on his jeans. Jackson watched as Allison consoled Sarah, stroking her hair and speaking to her softly.

Stiles walked up to the girl, as did Malia. Jackson watched them for a moment and then pulled Derek outside to the front porch. He couldn’t stand being around that girl. There was something about her that rubbed Jackson the wrong way and he had more important things to worry about. He didn’t care if the others felt sorry for her, as long as she didn’t demand sympathy from him. Nearly everyone in that room had gone through some kind of hardship. None of them had thrown china at him when they saw his eyes.

Jackson sighed and ran his hands through his hair. A shiver ran through his body as he realized it was a cool night and that he was still in his underwear. He ignored the cold and glared at the trees, still pissed off that he was attacked for being different. He frowned and slipped through the lines that were everyone’s mind and found Sarah’s and moved into it. She knew exactly what Scott and Ethan were, but she wanted them to admit it to her. It was unknown how she knew, just that she did. That might be a problem in the future.

“Are you all right?”

Jackson came back into his head and glanced at Derek. He shrugged and nodded. He was fine. Nothing that was thrown at him had made contact. He created a cup of coffee and handed it to Derek. His mate was going to need the energy, because training was about to start the moment Derek could function correctly. That only happened when he had some form of caffeine in his system.

As Derek drank the coffee, Jackson pressed up against him, kissing his throat and jaw. Derek looked down at him and raised an eyebrow. Jackson shrugged and said that they were interrupted before he could do anything fun to Derek’s body. His mate chuckled and kissed him softly. Jackson pulled back and smiled, keeping his eyes closed. He forgot how tender Derek actually was when it came to romance and touching.

Once Derek had finished his coffee, Jackson walked down the stairs and shifted into his animal form. The sun was starting to rise. Derek shifted and stood beside him, nuzzling behind his ear. Jackson looked at him and pressed his nose to Derek’s cheek. He wanted to use the front yard as the training ground, but with Sarah in the house, it wouldn’t be very thoughtful. She was chased into the woods by Sierra and the last thing she needed to see or hear were two wolves fighting.

Jackson headed towards the clearing that appeared three years ago. Derek was by his side the entire way. Once they were in the clearing, Jackson faced Derek and nuzzled the side of his throat. The moment he felt Derek’s guard slip, Jackson sunk his teeth into the fur and threw him to the side. Derek sat up and stared at him, confusion clear in his swirling eyes. Jackson lowered his head and snarled. He called in the snow clouds again and Derek stood up.

_What are you doing, Jackson?_ Derek inquired as he stepped closer to his mate. Jackson charged at him, ignoring the question. The snow came down harder, which Jackson used to his advantage. He knew that Derek was bigger than him, but he had never fought someone like Sierra before. The she-wolf would do everything in her power to make sure she had the advantage. Jackson needed Derek to know that before he faced her.

Derek yelped as Jackson bit his left leg. It was a sharp, quick sound that was quickly replaced with a growl. Jackson grinned and jumped back. Derek was finally taking the fight seriously. Jackson stepped to the side when Derek went for his throat. His teeth sunk into flesh over the spine and his feet were frozen in the snow. Derek used tree roots to wrap around Jackson, tightening every time he struggled to get free. The earth wolf broke the ice and stood in front of him. He narrowed his eyes and placed his mouth over Jackson’s throat.

Jackson submitted, tilting his head back and the roots left his body. He stood up and the snow stopped. He licked the wounds he had created on Derek’s neck and back, whispering that he was sorry for the sudden and unprovoked attack. Derek told him not to worry about it, as he should have known that something like that would happen at some point. Jackson stopped his treatment when the wounds were healed and sat beside Derek, tucking his head under his mate’s.

_I just wanted you to know that she will do everything she can to hurt you. If you use the nature around you, you’ll be fine._ Jackson wasn’t entirely sure how true that statement was, but he knew that nothing too bad was going to happen to his mate. He wouldn’t allow it. Derek licked the area between Jackson’s ears lovingly for a moment and then rested his head atop his.

They knew that Stiles and Isaac were watching them, but both were too comfortable to move. They heard a camera shutter click and looked at the human and werewolf. They stepped closer to the pair of wolves, grinning like the cat that stole the canary. Stiles was looking at the picture on the camera, nodding and pointing at something to Isaac. The werewolf laughed, his eyes sliding over to Derek and Jackson. Neither of them really wanted to know what was on the picture.

Derek asked them what they were doing there. While Stiles was busy admiring the picture, Isaac told them that Vincent had sent them to collect them and take them back to the house. The dragon was worried about Jackson training without eating breakfast. Jackson sighed and nodded. He forgot about that, but in all honesty, he had enough sugar in his system to last him a lifetime. The thought of actually eating was a little sickening. However, he knew that Vincent wouldn’t let it go.

Isaac challenged Derek to see who would get back first and Derek accepted. They ran off, while Jackson walked beside Stiles. The human was going through the pictures he had taken on his camera. He seemed confused with a couple of them and Jackson honestly wasn’t paying enough attention to him to know he was snapping pictures. Jackson slipped into his mind and found that Stiles wanted to make a wall dedicated to pictures of everyone.

It was a sentimental thing, but Stiles believed that he was going to remain human for the rest of his life and he wanted to relive certain memories. Jackson leaned up and nuzzled Stiles’ elbow, wanting him to know he would never be alone. Stiles looked down at him and grinned, petting his head gently. He liked the idea of the pictures and knew that Stiles had been taking pictures for quite some time, if the human’s memory was anything to go by.

They arrived back at the house and Jackson shifted into his human form, fully dressed. He jogged up the stairs and went straight to the kitchen. He sat down and grinned at the waffles that were waiting for him. Isaac was saying that Derek cheated on the race back. It wasn’t fair to accept a challenge in his wolf form, as he would always be faster. Derek shrugged and ruffled the werewolf’s hair. Allison kissed Isaac’s cheek and told him he would get Derek next time.

Scott was agreeing with Isaac that it wasn’t fair for the wolf-shifters to assert their dominance in their wolf forms. Jackson scoffed, but bit into a waffle before he said anything that could start a fight. Vincent shook his head, once again stating that shifters were just superior in every way. Scott rolled his eyes and Malia said that werewolves had some perks, which Vincent instantly shot down by pointing out that a shifter’s senses were more highly trained.

Not finding a way to argue against that, Malia turned to Derek and challenged him to a race. Since she could use her animal form, she figured she would have a better chance than Isaac would. Derek also pointed out that he had longer legs, which would make him the winner anyway. Malia didn’t seem ready to drop the subject, so Derek gave in and accepted the challenge. Jackson glanced at the doorway to the kitchen and saw Stiles standing there.

Stiles asked about Sarah and Allison said that she was sleeping in a spare room. Danny and Ethan came into the kitchen. Jackson watched Stiles, feeling his eyes softening. He tried not to think about the fact that four years ago, he was the world’s biggest dick to the human. He moved to stand in front of Stiles, gazing at the human indifferently for a moment. He hugged Stiles, which brought all chatter to a stop as everyone stared at them.

After a moment, Jackson pulled back and smirked at Stiles. The human raised an eyebrow and allowed himself to be pulled over to the table. Jackson sat Stiles beside him and waved his hand over the table. A plate of Stiles’ favorite breakfast appeared, which were blueberry-chocolate chip pancakes, just the way his mother used to make them. A pang of sadness hit Stiles and Jackson apologized quietly, berating himself for forgetting how much Stiles missed his mother. Stiles shook his head, saying it had been years since he last had those pancakes for breakfast.

Conversation started up, as everyone decided it was best for Stiles to not think too much about his deceased mother. The human was happy for the fact and was laughing and joking with the others soon. Jackson looked up and caught Derek’s eyes. His mate was gazing at him with affection and awe. Jackson swallowed and lowered his head as he blushed. He knew that Derek forgot that he could do nice things for others when he wanted. Stiles was still a member of the pack, despite not being a wolf in any way. A lot of them forgot how much he actually did for them.

While Stiles spoke to Liam and Derek about god knows what, Jackson took his camera and went through the pictures. He frowned when he saw that Stiles had taken a picture of them the previous day, when the pack surrounded Jackson. He could have sworn he would’ve felt Stiles getting out of the bed. He frowned when he saw that Stiles was the one that took all the pictures. He wasn’t in any of them and that had to change soon.

Jackson raised an eyebrow when he saw a picture of Tsuki and Vincent standing on the porch, talking about something. He grinned when he found a picture of Scott with Isaac in a chokehold. He saw a picture of Lydia, Malia and Allison sitting in the living room having a girls’ night in, if the chocolates were anything to go by. He found a picture of Derek and Liam sitting on the front steps and it appeared that Derek was explaining something to Liam, if the light in his eyes was anything to by. There was an image of Allison practicing her archery.

He quickly realized that these pictures were from the previous three years. He went to the latest picture that was taken and he saw the sorrow in Derek’s eyes. Derek was waiting for him to leave again, still. When he looked up, he saw that Derek was talking to Tsuki about the xylomancer, which piqued Stiles’ interest as he still didn’t know much about the magical hippy.

Jackson stood and went into the kitchen, putting on a pot of coffee and pouring orange juice for those that asked for it. He snapped a picture of the table and moved to the other side, taking another picture. He figured it was about time that Stiles was in some of them, along with Danny and Ethan. They might not be permanent members of the pack, but they were honorary members and there should be some memories of them for Stiles.

He handed the camera back to Stiles and poured the coffee, handing a cup to Derek and Danny. He handed out the orange juice and sat down, finishing his breakfast. Allison stood and said she was going to check on their guest. Tsuki followed her and Jackson said he was going for his morning run, since he really needed to work off the cakes and pies from the previous night. Scott would join him and Jackson smirked, telling the werewolf to try and keep up.

They stretched on the front porch and Jackson glanced at Scott. A cheeky smile settled on Jackson’s face as he took off before Scott had finished. He heard the alpha call out to him and felt the presence catching up. Jackson glanced over his shoulder and saw that Scott was only a few feet behind him. He took the werewolf on his usual to the clearing and then back again. Neither of them paused to take a breather and Jackson knew that Scott wanted to prove that werewolves could hold their own against wolf-shifters.

When they got back, they fought to be the first through the door and into the kitchen. They crashed through together, grabbing for the one bottle of water on the breakfast counter. Jackson froze Scott’s feet to the floor and the werewolf said that that was cheating. Jackson shrugged and said that they should use any means at their disposal. Scott raised an eyebrow and Jackson cursed as he handed over the bottle when the alpha ordered it.

Jackson created another bottle and stuck his tongue out at Scott, freeing the werewolf. They looked at the front of the house when three cars pulled up. They knew it was Scott’s mom, Stiles and Allison’s fathers that had arrived. Scott called out to Stiles and Allison. The parents didn’t bother to knock and entered the house, heading straight for the kitchen. It seemed to the room where everyone met and conversed.

Chris froze when he saw Jackson and blinked, as though he was seeing things. Jackson was curious on if anyone told their parents that he was back. It would seem that Allison hadn’t mentioned a thing to her father and the same could be said for Stiles, when Sheriff Stilinski stared at him as though he was seeing a ghost. Melissa smiled warmly at him, clearly not holding him responsible for running off. That or she had no idea that Jackson had disappeared for three years.

John was the first parent to say something. He simply blurted out, “You’re back?”

Jackson nodded slowly, unsure if he should be making a dash for the door. Chris raised an eyebrow and helped himself to the coffee. Melissa said nothing, but Jackson slipped into her mind and saw that she was a little disappointed in him for leaving them. John was worried that Jackson was going to hurt his son again. Jackson cleared his throat and decided it would be easier if he was out of the room. He excused himself and went upstairs to his room, frowning when he saw Liam, Malia and Isaac up there. They were lying on his bed.

“Is there a reason why everyone has decided that my room is a mutual gathering point?” he asked as he stood by the bed.

Liam looked up from the book he was reading. “You haven’t threatened to gut us if we snuggle you while you’re in your wolf form. We tried it with Derek and he nearly ripped out throats.”

Malia nodded. “We like sleeping together as a pack,” she said without looking up from her book, which Jackson noted was _Green Eggs and Ham_. “You’re part of the pack and there’s something awesome about sleeping with a massive wolf.”

Jackson shrugged and went into the bathroom. He stripped and showered quickly, stepping out and gazing at his reflection. He didn’t look like someone that had a psychotic ex hunting him. He decided that was a good thing and ran a hand down his body. He left the bathroom, surprised that Malia was the only pack member left on his bed. She said that the others were downstairs, talking to the adults about what was happening around town. Jackson nodded and created the rest of Dr. Seuss books for her. Her eyes lit up and she thanked him.

Going downstairs, Jackson hung in the doorway awkwardly. He listened in to the conversation that was happening. Chris wanted to know about the animal attacks that were happening in places that were of some significance to Jackson. Scott explained that he had a psychotic ex that was hunting him down and was trying to take out Derek. The earth wolf revealed that he tried to take her down the previous night and failed.

“So how do we put the bitch down?” Chris asked and sipped his coffee.

“Jackson showed me what her fighting style is like. Her mind was poisoned by him, but I’m not sure if I’m strong enough to take her out,” Derek said and raised his eyes to Jackson. The snow wolf stepped back and hid around the corner. “Just so you know, it isn’t Jackson that’s killing those people. She’s framing him.”

“So only a wolf-shifter can take out a wolf-shifter?” John clarified and Jackson could hear the confusion in his voice, as though he couldn’t believe he was talking about this seriously. “Or can any kind of shifter take out another shifter?”

“That’s the general rule,” Derek answered. “We could get Vincent to kill her, since she wouldn’t be insane enough to try and take on a dragon. However, he said something about wanting Jackson to learn from his mistakes.”

Jackson lowered his eyes. The entire mess was his fault. If he hadn’t run away because he was hurt that Derek kept denying him, none of this would have happened. He had brought hell to Beacon Hills because he wanted to return and pretend that nothing had happened. It was up to him to make it right, even if it meant his death. He knew that that would hurt Derek even more, but he couldn’t continue to rely on others to clean up his messes.

The strange thing was, Jackson didn’t really want anyone to take down Sierra. He wanted to be the one that got the point across. At one point, he honestly thought that talking to her would sort it out. That idea went out the window when she showed up the previous day and attacked him. There was only one way to make her see reason and that was to end her life. The only problem was he wasn’t an alpha shifter. He didn’t have the guts to do so, either.

“There was a double murder last night,” John went on. “Darcy and Kenny Kanter were found dead in their bed this morning. Their daughter is missing. I was hoping the lot of you could keep an eye out for her. She must be terrified.”

“An animal attack?” Stiles asked curiously, clearly wanting to know if Sierra was responsible for that as well.

“Not likely,” John answered and shook his head. “They were stabbed nineteen times in the chest and face. Someone with a lot of rage did that. In the meantime, you lot really need to put a stop to the wolf-shifter that’s murdering people. Some of the people are talking about getting together hunting groups to take down the animal responsible. I’ve been able to persuade them for the moment, but they’re serious and I don’t need them shooting Derek, Jackson or Malia by accident.”

“Speaking of Jackson,” Chris started as he placed his mug down. “When did he get back? No one thought to tell us that he’d returned?”

Jackson lowered his eyes, staring at his bare toes. Stiles explained that Jackson was out for a week when he got back and then there was the crazy happenings with the xylomancer, which he had to explain as none of the parents had heard of them before. Upon hearing it was a magical hippy that had come from Australia, more questions were asked. Eventually, they forgot the original question of Jackson’s return.

He sighed silently and left the front hall, going to the porch. He glanced at Vincent as the dragon smoked. Vincent said nothing as he slipped an arm around the snow wolf’s shoulders and pulled him close. Jackson closed his eyes and tried not to think about how selfish he had been. He was tired of being reminded that he was a jerk and that he had caused nothing but problem since he came back. The xylomancer followed him and so did Sierra.

“They don’t hate you, kid,” Vincent said quietly and ruffled Jackson’s hair. “They’re just surprised that you came back. Three years _is_ a long time to be gone. And let’s be honest, it _really_ wouldn’t have killed you to let them know you were alive and well.”

“I kept in contact with you,” Jackson muttered as he rested his head on Vincent’s shoulder.

“For six months. After that, not even I could contact you. Derek had to rely on the weakening bond between the two of you to know if you were alive. You kept ignoring him, as well.” Vincent shook his head and sighed. “You ran away from everything, Jax. You even ran away from me.”

Jackson lowered his eyes. “I needed to get away from it, Vincent. I couldn’t be around Derek, knowing he didn’t love me. I needed to be with my own. I _needed_ to be away from the pain.” He knew they sounded like excuses and they really were. He could have replied to Derek when he used their bond to let him know he was fine. He could have visited at some point, too.

There were several things he could have done. The main being, he couldn’t have left and then decided that he wanted a new mate. Every decision he had made in the last three years seemed to be backfiring shockingly. He honestly had no idea why Sierra was so hell bent on claiming him as a mate, since she made him work so hard for it. It was possible that she found his advances adorable and felt something for him after that. It was also possible that she always liked him, but wanted him to prove how much he liked her. It was also possible that the cows were blue and the sun rose in the west in the town.

Jackson closed his eyes. “I really fucked up, didn’t I? I know that most of them are trying to act normal around me, but I can see it in Derek’s eyes that he doesn’t trust me. Now he has to fight for me.” He didn’t want to think about the damage that Derek was going to take from Sierra. His mate would be lucky if he survived the fight.

“Do you doubt my teaching abilities that much? I spent a year with Derek, teaching him how to bend the earth to his will. He also knows exactly what kind of magic snow wolves have.” Vincent released Jackson’s shoulders and stood in front of him, gazing at the wolf. “I also know that you sensed it in him. You know what else he can do.”

Jackson stared into Vincent’s hazel eyes and nodded slowly. He had sensed that Derek could detect and remove a life force. He had felt Derek touching his on occasion. It wasn’t unpleasant, since it was his mate that was touching his soul. However, he knew that if Derek wanted to, he could make it unbelievably painful. He could torture the soul, which was rare in shifters. It explained the blue part of Derek’s coloring, anyway.

He wasn’t sure how much Derek knew about it, but he wasn’t going to bring it up with his mate. Jackson smiled and hugged Vincent tightly, closing his eyes. He didn’t pull back when someone cleared their throat behind him. He missed the dragon and got the feeling that Vincent was going to leave again. Vincent rested his hands on the small of Jackson’s back for a moment and then he pulled back and nodded his head at Derek.

Jackson sighed and slipped his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. Vincent went inside and Jackson gazed at the trees, pulling away from Derek when he stood beside him. The sun was starting to set and Jackson smiled softly as he saw the red and orange hues filter through the trees. He also knew that Sierra was in the trees somewhere. She was watching them, waiting for them to let their guard down so she could strike. None of them were going to let that happen, especially since John and Chris were inside of the house.

Derek glanced at Jackson. “Is something wrong?”

Jackson lowered his eyes to the railing in front of him for a moment. When he raised them, he was gazing at the trees. He wasn’t sure how he wanted to say what he needed to. The last thing he wanted to do was make things worse, which was likely to happen anyway. He had no idea how Derek was going to react. His heart was hammering in his chest to the point that Derek told him to calm down. The last thing he needed to do was have another panic attack.

With a deep breath, Jackson turned to Derek. “If you aren’t happy with me, you don’t have to keep me around,” he said softly, unable to meet Derek’s eyes. He really didn’t want to see the pain or the relief. Either way, it wasn’t going the way he had planned it.

“Are you trying to find another excuse to leave us?” Derek demanded and Jackson’s eyes snapped up. He was surprised to see anger in the swirling depths of his mate. That was completely unexpected and Jackson wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about that. “Is that what you’re trying to say, Jackson? You want to leave us again, after promising that you wouldn’t do that?”

“I saw the picture,” he explained as he turned towards the trees. “You didn’t look happy in it and I don’t want to be the reason why you’re sad or not content. If there is someone else that makes you feel better, I wouldn’t hold it against you if you chose them. But that doesn’t mean that I’m going to leave, just so you know.”

“Did you want to look at me while you say that? I know you’re lying, Jackson. You’re usually a lot more convincing than… _this_.” Jackson frowned as he was turned to face Derek. The frown melted away when Derek tenderly touched his face, his eyes soft. “What’s wrong, Jackson? Why are you saying this when you know it isn’t true?”

Jackson held his hand out and Stiles’ camera appeared in it. He heard the human cry out. Jackson ignored it and brought up the picture Stiles took of him and Derek. “Right there. You look sad.”

Derek looked at the picture and frowned, taking the camera from Jackson. He said nothing as he deleted the picture and Jackson’s eyes widened. The camera disappeared from his hands and he grabbed Jackson, pressing their mouths together. There was a little more force than usual behind the kiss and Jackson’s eyes widened. He felt everything that Derek felt crash into his mind through their bond. Tears entered his eyes as he knew that Derek would never leave him.

He could feel that Derek was more than content to have him back. Every time they were near, his pulse quickened and he wanted to get closer. He felt the guilt that Derek harbored for scaring him the other day. He felt the adoration and love take over his mind. His knees buckled as the emotions intensified and he was forced to hold onto Derek to remain upright. The underlying fear that Jackson would leave left a sour taste in his mind.

Jackson pulled back and stared at Derek. He didn’t care that the tears were falling down his cheeks. He never believed anyone could feel that passionately about him. If his real parents couldn’t love him like that, how could he expect anyone else to? It had been a long while since he felt that pathetic before someone. Then again, no one loved him the way Derek did. It suddenly made sense why he ran away before. He couldn’t be there.

Derek caught him around the waist before he could even make a break for the stairs or the door. “I always knew that being close to someone terrified you. I always knew that you shut off everything so you couldn’t see those that loved you. You’re a cold, calculating person, Jackson,” Derek murmured in his ear. “You always make sure that no one can see under your masks. How do you breathe?”

Jackson shook his head, trying to pull away. He had no idea that Derek was so strong. He was refusing to let go and Jackson wanted to get away. There was a ruffle that sounded like wings beating and Jackson was overcome with the feeling of motion sickness. When he opened his eyes, he was inside a hotel room with Derek. They were alone and Derek was still refusing to let go of him.

“Why the hell did you have to feel _all_ of that for me? Why couldn’t you just like me for my good looks, like everyone else?” Jackson pushed Derek away and rested his hands on his knees as he inhaled deeply; erratically. He was still trembling from the emotions that Derek had slipped into his head.

Derek sighed. “You are aware that there is a lot more to you than just your boyish good looks, right? You actually have a mind, which you constantly use so no one can see the real you. Did you know that you even hide your soul? Do you have any idea how many times I’ve thought I’ve seen what you really hide from everyone, only to discover it’s another exhausted breath?”

Jackson straightened and glared over his shoulder. “You knew _exactly_ what I was like before you decided to claim me. Oh sure, we can blame the wolfsbane, but you knew what you were getting into. Is that why you kept denying me, until you knew how to deal with me?” He lost the glare and went to the balcony doors, looking out over the town. In the distance, he could see the forest. “You knew I was a mental.”

“So what did you want to do about this, Jackson? I can’t be with someone that wants to hide everything all the time. Do you even know what you’re feeling right now?”

Jackson nodded. “I know exactly what I’m feeling right now, Derek,” he whispered with a broken voice, hoping the other wouldn’t notice.

“Tell me what you’re feeling.”

Jackson closed his eyes and shook his head. He found the bond and sent the emotions through the link. He heard Derek gasp as he sent through the feelings of inadequacy to be loved so deeply. The feelings of knowing he was going to ruin it again. The fear of hurting Derek by doing something stupid. The sheer terror of breaking his mate’s heart and the fact that he wasn’t good enough to properly claim. He cried out when he felt the warmth wrap around the very core of his being and knew that Derek was touching his soul.

He turned around, resting against the doors, shivering as he stared at Derek. His mate’s eyes were pure blue and Jackson knew he had been exposed again for the timid boy he really was. Even as a wolf-shifter, he was terrified of letting someone down. That person was Derek Hale, the one person that wanted him for all his flaws. He felt each and every carefully crafted mask falling away as Derek delved deeper into his being. He would never be good enough for someone like Lydia, much less Derek.

Jackson knew he couldn’t handle conflict. He wasn’t a fighter; he was barely a lover. He closed his eyes and allowed Derek to completely expose him. The last walls around his pathetic being were destroyed and every fear that he had was released. He heard Derek inhale sharply as the idea of being left again hit him. The black spot of his personality that he wanted to keep hidden was released and Jackson fell to his knees, hugging himself as his shoulders shook violently.

Derek pulled back from his mate and moved to kneel in front of him. Jackson raised his head, eyes literally flashing between anger, lust, passion, happiness, sorrow, pain and savage joy. That black spot was a segment that never should have been released. He grabbed Derek’s shoulders and threw him onto the bed, unzipping his hoodie and crawling on top of the earth wolf. He refused to break eye contact as he nipped the inside of Derek’s right thigh through his jeans.

Jackson created a quarter and threw it to Derek. “Flip the coin,” he ordered and Derek did so. The coin landed heads up beside the bed. “You get to try and make me scream.”

Derek tried to sit up, but Jackson pushed him back down. He placed his lips a hair’s breadth from Derek’s as his hands undid the earth wolf’s belt and jeans. Jackson placed hard kisses to Derek’s jaw and throat, sinking his teeth into the flesh. Derek cried out and shoved Jackson away, placing a hand over the deep wounds. Jackson licked the blood from his lips and tilted his head. Derek went into the bathroom and came out a moment later, pressing a towel to the bite mark.

“What the hell has gotten into you? For someone that doesn’t want to spill blood, you don’t have a problem with it now!” Derek glared as he applied more pressure to the mark.

“I only wanted to fuck you into oblivion. _You_ wanted this version of me. Don’t you like this Jackson that doesn’t really care about anyone and will cause any kind of pain in order to get a rise out of you?” Jackson laughed without mirth as he slipped off the bed and stood in front of Derek. He ripped the towel from Derek’s hand and shoved him against the doorframe to the bathroom, kissing him roughly.

Jackson ran his hands down Derek’s torso. He pulled back slightly and smirked when he saw that Derek’s eyes were darkening with lust. A small gasp left Jackson’s mouth when Derek changed their positions, grinding against him. Derek bit his throat and Jackson cursed, gripping Derek’s ass and bringing their hips closer. He felt Derek’s claws raking along his ribs, making him arch into the touch and exhale loudly.

He was pushed into the bathroom. Jackson slammed Derek’s back against the wall, the tiles and plaster cracking and falling to the floor. He pulled back and grinned, which turned into a smirk when he was thrown against the shower. The glass shattered and Jackson fell through it, hand bleeding from the small cuts. He stood and attached his lips to Derek’s, shoving him towards the bedroom again.

Derek tore the hoodie from Jackson’s body and threw him into the bathroom, knocking a tap from its fitting and water spraying. “You’re the one that’s gonna get fucked into oblivion, Jax,” he murmured hotly, undoing Jackson’s jeans and shoving them down.

Jackson looked at the marble counter as it morphed and wrapped around his wrists, holding him in place. He glanced over his shoulder and then watched Derek’s actions via the mirror he was in front of. The earth wolf had removed his jeans and Jackson felt the hard, thick length against his bare ass. His cock stiffened immediately and he struggled against the marble. Derek shoved two fingers into his mouth and Jackson growled, biting them. Derek hissed and ripped his head back by his hair.

“This is all you’re getting in terms of prep, Jax.”

Jackson could taste Derek’s blood and eagerly licked and sucked the fingers. He snarled when they were removed from his mouth. It didn’t last long as they were shoved into his hole. He pursed his lips slightly and met Derek’s eyes in the mirror. Derek leaned in and nuzzled behind his ear, whispering that Jackson was beautiful. Jackson blushed and lowered his head, hoping to hide it. Derek chuckled and licked the scars on his neck.

Derek found that spot that had Jackson biting his lower lip hard enough to draw blood and arching his back in pleasure. He broke the marble and removed Derek’s fingers. He spun around, dropped to his knees and took Derek’s cock into his mouth, sucking hard and fast. Derek’s hands gripped his hair tightly as his hips thrust forward. He pulled back and glared up at Derek as he stood. He placed his hands on Derek’s hips, nuzzling against his lips.

“Fuck me, Derek,” he whispered harshly.

Jackson grinned as he was spun around and he felt the head of Derek’s cock pushing against his entrance. He watched as Derek’s eyes half-closed with pleasure the more he pushed in. As soon as he full seated, he nibbled on Jackson’s shoulder, hands running down his arms to cover Jackson’s. Derek started a hard, fast pace, which had Jackson’s head falling backwards as a long sigh left his lips as the length tore him and used his blood as lubricant. He could feel it running down his thighs.

“You really have no idea how beautiful you are.”

Jackson opened his eyes and gazed at his reflection with indifference. His head was resting on Derek’s shoulder, as his hands vanished into his mate’s thick, unruly hair. His eyes were drawn to Derek and he fought to keep back a moan. Derek was staring at his reflection, committing every twitch to memory, lips parted in soft, sharp exhales, until his teeth sank into Jackson’s bicep.

The thrusting increased and Jackson fell forward, resting his arms on the counter. He fought to swallow every sound of pleasure that threatened to spill from his mouth. His claws dug into the marble counter, making deep grooves. He was turned around and Derek slammed into him again, cradling the back of Jackson’s head as he gazed into his eyes. Their breath mingled and Jackson could feel his mask starting to come back up.

The black spot of his personality was disappearing. The savage in him was disappearing the longer he looked into Derek’s eyes and saw the love and trust in those swirling eyes. He leaned forward and kissed Derek softly, moaning quietly as their tongues slid against each other. Derek’s hips moved faster and harder. Jackson dug his claws into Derek’s shoulders, burying his face into the other’s neck.

The movements increased further, skin slapping skin, pants breaking the silence of the bathroom. Jackson could feel his toes curling and his back arching. He was so close that he could practically taste it, especially as every thrust hit his prostate, which was forcing him to keep his screams silent. He opened his eyes and gazed at Derek. The earth wolf gazed back, eyes soft with consent. All it took was for Derek’s fingers to brush over his weeping cock.

Jackson came with a deep breath, back arching unnaturally and toes curling as he clenched around Derek. His claws dragged down Derek’s shoulders and the other came with a grunt. Jackson shuddered as he felt Derek’s seed fill him and mingle with his blood. Derek pulled out and held Jackson against him tightly; placing soft kisses along his throat and licking the bite mark. He murmured nonsense until one phrase made Jackson tense up and pulled back.

“What did you just say?”

“I said I love your body,” Derek said and Jackson gently pushed him away, heading for the shower.

“That’s a pity,” Jackson remarked as he turned on the water and kicked off his jeans. “As much as I love your body, I think I love you a little more.” He gave Derek a genuine smile as the earth wolf stared at him in shock. “Are you coming in or will I walk out to find you in wolf form, cleaning yourself that way?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yes. That was a lot of fun to write. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and the next one should be up soon! Thanks to all the comments and kudos that were left. I hope to see more in the future.  
> Until the next one, my lovelies!  
> Peace.
> 
> Auska.


	9. Chapter IX

**~Breathing Angel Style~**

**By:** Aerys Krystie.

oOo

Derek watched as Jackson raided the mini bar. He caught the can of soda that was thrown at him and checked the price on the menu. Eight dollars a can, he would demand that there was actual cocaine in the damn drink. However, since he wasn’t footing the bill, he assumed that was Jackson’s line of thought as the snow wolf jumped on the bed with a bag of potato chips hanging from his mouth. Aside from that, he created a bowl of fresh fruit.

Jackson laid his head on Derek’s thigh, gazing at the ceiling. Derek cracked the can and wrinkled his nose. Cola had always smelled odd to him when he was a werewolf. Now that his nose was even more sensitive, it smelled worse. Jackson held up a chip to him and Derek took it. He ate it and took a swig of the drink, staring down at Jackson. He still couldn’t believe that he was the first one to say those words. Derek truly thought he would be the first one to say he loved Jackson.

Derek ran his fingers through Jackson’s hair, which made the other look at him and grin. Jackson didn’t seem bothered that Derek hadn’t repeated the words. Derek wasn’t sure when he was able to say them, especially after what he saw in Jackson’s soul. He saw that black spot in his soul. It was a mark he had never known about. He never thought that Jackson would have that kind of savagery in him. There had to be something with his real parents that Derek didn’t know about.

He always knew that Jackson had some kind of stain on his soul. He just had no idea if he came before or after the kanima escapade. Derek sincerely hoped that it came from the murders and that Jackson didn’t always have that there. However, Jackson seemed to know it was there, which explained his masks. He wanted to keep it hidden from everyone. He knew that wasn’t who he was and he fought to keep it away.

Derek ran his thumb between Jackson’s eyebrows, down his nose and finally ran it over his full lips. As much as he wanted to dedicate all of his time thinking about Jackson, Derek found his mind wandering to Sierra and the new girl that was staying in his home. He honestly didn’t care what Vincent said. The house belonged to Hales and would continue to belong to the Hales. He didn’t care whose name was on the deed. He didn’t care who fixed it up and made it a home again.

As such, he didn’t like the fact that Sarah was there. There was something strange about that girl and it had nothing to do with what happened to her parents. She hadn’t reacted the best way to Jackson and had tried to hurt him. Scott and the others took pity on her and wanted to keep her safe from Sierra, since the she-wolf supposedly chased Sarah into the forest. There was no evidence of that, except for Sarah’s irrational response to Jackson’s eyes.

Jackson straddled Derek’s thighs and gazed at him. Derek blinked and smiled at him, loving that adorably confused crease between his eyebrows. It was difficult for Jackson to hide anything from him now, since he had bared his soul. Derek leaned forward and pressed his lips to Jackson’s tenderly for a moment. He knew Jackson wanted to know what he was thinking without going into his mind. Derek wasn’t sure he was ready to start with his insane conspiracies.

Who was he to question some girl that just lost her parents? Derek sat back again, frowning as he remembered what the Sheriff told him. The girl’s parents were stabbed to death. That wasn’t Sierra’s MO in the slightest. The girl’s house had no significant meaning to Jackson, so no one would think of him. Sierra was also freezing the veins of her victims before she tore out their throats. Not once had she stabbed her victims.

Derek had gone into Sarah’s mind, simply because he didn’t trust her. Either she was the master of repressing memories or she was innocent in the deaths of her parents. There was no memory of her doing the act of stabbing each one nineteen times. However, it was even less likely that Beacon Hills would have a serial killer in their midst. The one thing he did know for certain was that he would have to fight Sierra to the death for Jackson.

The snow wolf had rolled off of him and was lying on the bed, eating strawberries. Derek’s eyes were drawn to the dark mark on Jackson’s throat; the bite. He still hadn’t properly claimed Jackson as his and he wouldn’t until he didn’t have to fight someone for him. Jackson seemed happy to show off the bite, though. Derek knew he was sporting an identical mark on his throat, but he really didn’t care if the others knew what they had done. His scent was strong on Jackson and they knew what he had been denying for a while.

Derek only needed to wait for Sierra to approach him and demand his blood. The bed was cleared of all food items and drinks. Jackson was dressed in a pair of white boxers and he crawled under the covers, telling Derek not to stay up too late. Derek stared at him and then leaned down, pushing his tongue into Jackson’s mouth and tasting the strawberries. They were exceptionally sweet. Derek smirked as he pulled away and Jackson’s mouth followed his.

He told his mate to go to sleep and Jackson pouted, but stretched under the covers and then rested his head on Derek’s abdomen. He was asleep instantly and Derek raised an eyebrow. He had no idea how Jackson did it, but he was grateful that at least one of them was going to get some sleep that night. He still had to figure out how they got to the hotel room. He had no doubt that Tsuki had a hand to play in the matter; he just needed to know why. It wasn’t as though they were going to disrupt too many people.

Jackson was surprisingly quiet during the sex. Derek truly believed he was a screamer. He hadn’t uttered Derek’s name once during the penetration, which Derek found strange. Of course, he hadn’t said Jackson’s name, so it was only fair. He smirked as he remembered the way Jackson’s back arched when he came. He already knew that Jackson was a lot more flexible than anyone knew or would have thought.

Derek’s mind wandered to the picture that Stiles had snapped of him and Jackson. He really didn’t like the fact that he looked sad in it or the fact that it had upset Jackson so much. He knew that Jackson had no plans on leaving them again, but the same could be said for what happened three years ago. The pack finally accepted Jackson completely and he ran off the first chance he got. Derek knew he was to blame for that. This time he didn’t plan on denying Jackson ever again. Yet how could he be certain that Jackson wouldn’t leave for another reason?

It was the uncertainties in life that were killing Derek. He wanted to know for sure if Jackson would stay and be his mate. Jackson moaned softly and rolled away from Derek, as though sensing that the earth wolf didn’t want him around. Derek frowned when he thought about what Tsuki said when his body was undergoing the change. The demon had said that he would push Jackson away. It was something he did without thinking, apparently.

Derek sat on the edge of the bed, running his hands through his hair and resting them on his neck. He couldn’t believe that the two with the unlimited insecurities would be mates. He figured at least _one_ of them would be stable. Both of them had severe family issues, which was probably the reason why they were always drawn to each other. Derek never expected those issues with Jackson to lead him into becoming a murdering lizard, though.

He stood and opened the balcony doors, stepping out. He frowned as snow fell lightly and could hear others talking about it. They were in the last month of summer. He had to admit that the cooler weather was welcomed, but he wanted to know why Sierra was messing with their weather patterns. He looked down at the street and found her. She was staring up at him, a malicious grin on her pretty face. He could just make out the scar on her neck and he sighed, standing back.

Derek looked over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow. Jackson had spread out in the bed, taking up as much room as possible. He turned his attention back to Sierra, but she had moved on. The snow continued to fall and Derek leaned against the railing, gazing up at the sky. He honestly had no idea how he was meant to fight in the snow. He had a hard enough time doing that with Jackson and Jackson wasn’t really looking forward to making him bleed.

He touched the mark on his throat, turning his back to the world as he stared into the room. His ears twitched when he heard Scott howling, wanting him to return to the house. Jackson groaned and lifted his head, gazing out the window. Derek was going to kill Scott for waking him up. There didn’t seem to be an emergency, aside from the fact that they had vanished suddenly. Derek was almost certain Tsuki would have told them where they were.

Scott howled again, demanding everyone returned to the house. Derek sighed and locked eyes with Jackson. He nodded and Jackson stretched, throwing back the covers as Derek walked inside. He ran his hands over Jackson’s shoulders and pulled him close, enjoying the coolness of his body. It wasn’t entirely unnatural like snow in summer. They pulled apart when they heard Malia howl from outside the hotel. The people were shocked to see a coyote standing in the street.

Jackson smirked and ran to the balcony. He jumped over the railing and Derek shook his head. He followed his mate and shifted into his animal form, landing beside other canines. The people didn’t know what to think and Derek couldn’t give them a reason to call the Sheriff. They ran through the streets, weaving between people and cars as they made their way to the forest.

He and Jackson didn’t run as fast as they could, not wanting to leave Malia behind. In a way, she reminded Derek a little like Laura and he adored her. She was surprisingly together despite being on her own for so long. She pushed herself harder and overtook the shifters. Jackson scoffed and increased his speed a little, easily passing her. Derek wasn’t going to be drawn into the competitive nature of the pair. He knew it was in good fun, if their laughs were anything to go by.

The three of them made it back to the house and Jackson shifted, grinning in victory at Malia. She walked past and punched his arm. Jackson raised eyebrow and huffed. Malia’s hair fluffed up and looked like she had stuck her tongue into a power socket. She spun around, her eyes flashing blue as Jackson laughed and ran into the house, calling for Vincent. Malia shouted that it wasn’t fair to bring his keeper into their fight.

Derek shook his head as he heard their shouts. He could also hear their thumping feet as they ran around the house. Derek shook the snow from his jacket and stepped onto the porch. He brushed the flakes from his hair and glanced back. Scott ran up to the porch and stared at Derek, frowning at the mark on his throat. The alpha raised an eyebrow, but decided not to comment on it. That took Derek by surprise. He really was expecting some remark.

“What’s the emergency?” Derek asked as he turned to look out over the front lawn. He frowned when he thought he saw something shimmering between the trees.

“Sierra talked to me. At least, I think it was her. I know for a fact that she’s the only female wolf-shifter in the area.” Scott followed Derek’s gaze, tilting his head as he tried to find what was so interesting out there. “She said to warn you that she’ll be here at dawn.”

Derek turned his eyes to Scott, the crease between his eyes deepening. That didn’t make any sense. Why would she tell Scott that? It would have been easier to just warn him directly. She was planning something. There had to be more to the warning than just that she would be there at dawn. Derek was expecting that it would be happening soon. Granted, dawn was sooner than he expected, but it wasn’t unexpected.

“What else did she say?”

Scott adjusted the weight on his feet for a moment, lowering his eyes. “She warned me and the others that if we get involved, she’ll kill us all. She made that obvious when she poisoned Peter’s mind and had Danny attempt suicide. She told Vincent to stay out of the fight if he cared anything about Jackson or he would meet an untimely death.” He looked up and Derek could smell the fear on him. “Wolf-shifters are assholes.”

Derek stood to the side as Jackson came running out the front door. On the last step, he was spear tackled by Malia and pinned to the snow covered ground. Malia was demanding an apology and for Jackson to fix her hair. Jackson was still chuckling as he rolled her over and got to his feet, saying he would do nothing and take her nowhere. Malia narrowed her eyes.

Before Derek could soothe the situation, Vincent showed up and told both Jackson and Malia to sit. Both of them fell to their asses and Jackson winced, still not fully recovered from the rough fucking he got earlier. Vincent stood between the pair and glared at Jackson, not taking any pity on the snow wolf despite the pain. No words were spoken until Jackson blushed and lowered his head. He mumbled an apology to Malia and fixed her hair.

Derek shook his head. He saw the way that Scott was squinting at Jackson’s throat. The alpha’s eyes widened and he turned to Derek. Placing a hand over Scott’s mouth, Derek glared into Scott’s warm eyes. He warned him not to say anything or mention it, or he wouldn’t have to worry about Sierra exacting her revenge. Scott nodded and pulled his head back, grinning.

_I’m just glad he’s no longer releasing that pheromone. Do you have_ any _idea how hard it was to ignore him?_ Scott watched as Vincent continued to scold the shifter and were-coyote mentally, ignoring the glare from Derek. He tilted his head and said he would kill to know what was being said. Derek shook his head for the third time in under five minutes and flinched at the threat that Vincent gave Malia. She whimpered and shook her head, saying she wouldn’t chase Jackson again.

Scott straightened his posture when Vincent turned his eyes to him. Derek smirked and went inside. Now that he wasn’t the alpha, he was grateful to be away from Vincent’s scrutinizing gazes and all of his less-than-helpful tips when it came to keeping the pack under control. He went into the kitchen and made himself a cup of tea, sitting down at the table and gazing at Tsuki. The demon was going through a file as he ate a large club sandwich.

The file was dropped and Derek couldn’t help but look at it. He was curious as to what Tsuki did in his downtime, when he wasn’t helping them out with doppelgangers, druids, xylomancers and a psychotic ex that wanted to murder everyone in her sight. He frowned at the language on the paper and recognized it as Latin, but that was all he could tell about it. He raised his eyes to Tsuki. The demon was finishing his sandwich and then gazed directly at Derek.

“Lucifer has me on soul inventory in Hell,” he said as though it wouldn’t raise a thousand and one questions as to what it entailed, why he had to do it and what the point of it was. Then there were the questions on what the different inventories were. “Anyway, you had questions for me?”

“I – Huh.” Derek closed his mouth and shrugged. All he could focus on was the soul inventory that Tsuki was performing, while on earth. “Those questions are nothing compared – What the hell is ‘soul inventory’?”

Tsuki blinked. “I am doing an inventory of all the souls in Hell.”

Again, the way he said it was as though it wouldn’t raise questions. Derek frowned and sat back, curious on why Tsuki was doing that. Mark had said that Tsuki was near the top of the chain of command. Why would he be doing grunt work? Tsuki gazed at him indifferently, as though waiting for the inquiries to come flying from his mouth. Derek wasn’t sure how much information Tsuki would divulge, since he wasn’t that open when it came to his role in Hell.

“What the hell is ‘soul inventory’?” Derek asked again. He knew he should be a little more specific with what he wanted to know, but couldn’t get over the title of it.

“It is an inventory of souls,” Tsuki explained slowly, as though trying to explain basic math to a toddler. Derek narrowed his eyes at the tone. “I am not going to answer questions that are not asked. There is only so many ways I can explain what ‘soul inventory’ is before I start repeating myself.” The demon stood and took his plate to the sink.

“All right. So what do you do when you do a soul inventory?” Derek saw Tsuki raise an eyebrow. “And don’t you dare say you’re taking an inventory of souls. If you say that, I will beat the shit out of you.” Tsuki cocked his head to the side and Derek instantly regretted those words. “You can read my mind, man. You know exactly what I want to know.”

“Reading someone’s mind is a gross invasion of privacy,” Tsuki stated as he returned to his seat and flipped through the pages in the file. “When an inventory is taken, it basically means to make sure that the amount is correct and that they are where they should be. If someone needs to have their liver pecked out every night, but they are currently being whipped, then I need to rectify the situation before the ruler discovers the mishap.” He scribbled something on a sheet and raised his head. “Your uncle will not be having his liver pecked out.”

“That’s very… Ancient Greece of you.”

“Why mess with perfection? Did you know that re-growing a liver over night is just as painful as having it pecked out by an eagle?” Tsuki raised his eyebrows for a moment before his face went blank again.

“So why are you doing this, instead of some lower level demon?” Derek finished his tea and sat back, watching as Tsuki’s eyes went back and forth over the page. “From what I heard about you, this stuff sorta seems beneath you.”

“My father feels that I should be punished. He seems to forget that I enjoy doing inventory. Every time he does, he misplaces at least a few thousand souls. Then there are the genocides that happen where people are dying faster than we can place them and we accidently misplace a few.” Tsuki shrugged and made another note on the page.

Derek watched as the wording changed every time Tsuki made a note. That was a good way to cut back on paper. “Why does your father have so much sway over the ruler of Hell?”

“Because he does.”

Derek raised an eyebrow. That was the first time that Tsuki had spoken in a sentence fragment. The tone of voice told the wolf-shifter to drop the subject. Deciding that he liked living, Derek did drop the subject about Tsuki’s father. Apparently, family was a touchy subject for everyone that lived in the Hale house, or almost everyone. Vincent didn’t speak much about his family, except when he disappeared to visit his nephews.

“So my uncle did sell his soul to you?” Derek wasn’t sure if was confidential under the cloak of an on-going contract, but he would be damned if he wasn’t going to get some answers about what Peter had done three years ago.

“Would it make you feel better to know that there will be a Reaper in this house in six years, three months, nine days, fourteen hours, thirty-eight minutes and…twelve seconds from now?”

Derek blinked. What else could he possibly do? He now knew down to the second when his uncle was going to die. He had no idea how he was meant to react to that. He doubted anyone knew how to react to that. So he stared at the demon that was ignoring him. He sat back and refreshed his tea, really at a loss for words. He wasn’t sure what worried him more – the fact that he knew the time of his uncle’s demise or that there would be a Reaper in the house.

“I’m at a loss for words,” Derek finally admitted and Tsuki nodded, not taking his eyes off of the page in front of him.

“That is good,” he said softly. “If you did have something to say, it would make you a terrible, terrible person.”

Derek nodded slowly, deciding to leave the demon alone. He had no idea how many souls Hell had and he didn’t particularly want to know, either. He knew it would be a lot and that Tsuki had his work cut out for him. He was grateful when he heard some hideous scream from upstairs and Stiles exclaimed as his heart hammered in his chest. The other laughed and Derek stood, excusing himself to find out what the hell was happening.

He found them in the bedroom that Isaac had claimed. They were sitting in front of a computer, laughing and ribbing each other. They stopped and cleared their throats when they realized that Derek was watching them. Stiles was the first to try and blame Isaac for the game they were playing, but Derek held his hand up. He really didn’t have time to deal with their antics, especially since they were going to blame the other.

“Just turn down the volume and try not to scream like girls the next time you get scared.”

Derek walked off, hearing Stiles scoff. He had no idea what game they were playing where someone would have a mutated scream that made his wolf shudder and he didn’t want to know. As long as they kept it down, since others were trying to sleep, all would be well. He paused at the bottom of the stairs and glanced at the door. He could hear Scott and Malia in the kitchen, talking to Tsuki about what he was doing. Jackson and Vincent were on the front porch.

“How long have you had it?”

“Since the first murder.” Jackson sighed and Derek looked out the door. The snow wolf had his arms crossed on the railing, pulling the jeans tighter around his ass. “I never wanted it, but I got it. Tsuki said that every soul that’s taken a life has a black mark on it. Is that true?”

“The Prince knows more about souls than anyone I’ve ever met. If he says that’s the reason why you have the black mark, then he isn’t lying. You’ll find that he’s extremely truthful when he wants to be.” Vincent turned his head slightly and gazed at Derek from the corner of his eye. “Even when he’s interrogated about subjects he doesn’t want to talk about.”

“I didn’t mean to force it out of him,” Jackson continued, staring out at the trees. “But I had to know. I needed to know if I was hell bound. I suppose it’s a good thing I know that I am.”

Vincent turned his head towards Jackson. “You aren’t hell bound for something that was out of your control, Jax. While most supernatural creatures don’t see in shades of gray, the Prince is one of those that do. He won’t let you go to hell for something like wasn’t your fault.”

Derek eagerly awaited Jackson’s response. He had told Jackson several times that he wasn’t responsible for the murders that the kanima committed. Jackson never seemed to believe it, though. Derek wasn’t entirely sure, but he was almost certain he would lose his shit if Jackson agreed with Vincent. It just wasn’t fair for the snow wolf to believe the dragon when he had said the same words so many times before.

“I am responsible,” Jackson whispered and lowered his eyes. “I _begged_ for the bite. Derek gave it to me to either shut me up or kill me, which in turn would shut me up. Dear god, I did things with that wolf that night that I’m fairly certain was illegal in this State.” He shook his head and turned his back to the trees, frowning when he saw Derek.

“There were things you did tonight that were probably illegal, as well.”

Jackson blushed and Derek glared at the back of Vincent’s head. What happened that night and the night of the bite were secret to everyone except them. He was surprised that Jackson remembered the night of the bite. He never mentioned it again, but that could have been because he was too busy being used as a puppet to even think about it. Somehow, it was nice to know that Jackson never forgot what they did and how Derek made him scream.

Back then, Derek had abused him simply because he could. The same thing had happened a few hours ago, as well. The only difference was he didn’t dump Jackson’s body in the river and Jackson said he loved Derek. The earth wolf had no idea if that was the only kind of love Jackson expected from him or if it was because that was the only kind of love he thought he deserved. Either way, it was something that Derek had to change.

Vincent put out his cigarette and went inside. Derek took his position beside Jackson, placing a hand on Jackson’s abdomen to keep him from following the dragon. Jackson glanced up at him and Derek lowered his head, pressing his lips to Jackson’s. The snow wolf pulled back, blinking. Derek pulled him closer. Jackson kissed Derek’s throat, inhaling his scent.

“Jackson,” Derek started as he ran his hands through his mate’s hair. “I was told that I have a bad habit of pushing you away. I just want to know that you’re going to continue to push forward with me when I do that.” He pulled back slightly and tilted Jackson’s head up. “I also want you to know that I’m not going to lose to Sierra. You are _mine_.”

“ _Kai eíste orycheío_ ,” Jackson murmured, gazing into Derek’s eyes. “Don’t forget that part. As much as I’m yours, you’re also mine.” He smiled, turning his head slightly to kiss Derek’s wrist, glancing at the mark on Derek’s throat for a moment. He leaned forward and kissed the bite.

“Jackson,” Derek sighed, holding Jackson’s head to his throat. “ _Tha eímai pánta dikós sas_.” He closed his eyes, feeling his lower region react to Jackson’s tongue and lips. It didn’t help when the snow wolf’s hand moved to his crotch and started rubbing his hardening cock. “We shouldn’t be doing this here.”

Jackson stood back and smirked, glancing around. Derek knew they were completely alone, but he wasn’t going to do anything sexual with Jackson on the front porch. “We’re alone, Derek. C’mon, let me just have this one fantasy.”

Derek’s eyebrows went up. “Having sex on the front porch of my home is a fantasy of yours?” He couldn’t believe that.

“Well, sex can come later.” Jackson undid the buckle on the belt. He popped the button and smirked. “Right now, I really just want to blow you on the front porch,” he whispered softly, kissing Derek gently and then dropping to his knees.

Derek glanced around, even though he couldn’t hear anyone anywhere near them. He gripped the railing tightly as his cock was exposed. Jackson sucked him to full hardness. “God fuck, Jackson,” he murmured and tried not to fuck his mouth.

His eyes rolled back a little as Jackson took all of him into his mouth and down his throat. He lowered his head and watched as his mate pleasured him on the front porch. He needed to keep vigilant, though. The last thing they needed was to be caught like that. He cursed again and gripped the railing tighter, hearing the wood splintering under his grip. The speed increased a little and Jackson pulled back, running his tongue along the underside and swirling it around the head, eyes on Derek.

“Jackson – fuck. I’m gonna…” Derek trailed off as he came with a soft gasp, hand buried in Jackson’s hair and the other breaking off a piece of the railing. Jackson moaned as Derek emptied his sac in his mouth and down the back of his throat. “Jackson,” he murmured.

Jackson pulled back, swallowing everything that Derek had produced, running his tongue along his lower lip. He smiled and pulled up Derek’s jeans, doing them up. Derek helped Jackson to his feet and noticed his hard length. He hand his hand along in it through the jeans and Jackson shuddered against him. He saw fear flash through Jackson’s eyes and knew that he was terrified to accept pleasure from anyone. He didn’t feel worthy of it.

Derek kissed Jackson gently, squeezing his mate’s cock. Jackson gasped and Derek slipped his tongue into his mouth. He was surprised that he couldn’t taste himself on Jackson’s tongue. He moaned at the taste of ice and fresh water. He undid Jackson’s jeans, but the snow wolf pulled away and shook his head. He cleared his throat and went to head inside, but Derek caught his arm and pinned him against the railing.

“You’re with me now, Jackson,” Derek murmured as he unzipped Jackson’s hoodie and placed kisses on his chest. “If there’s a problem, you need to tell me.” He ran his tongue over a nipple and Jackson bit his lower lip to hold back a moan.

Jackson arched into the kisses and Derek glanced up. “I don’t want anything from you, Derek. Please, stop this.” He pulled away and zipped up his hoodie, wrapping his arms around himself. “Why can’t you just accept that I only want you near me?”

Derek stared at him, unable to believe that was the only thing that Jackson wanted from him. He had to wonder if Jackson was displeased with his body or maybe his penis. He gazed at Jackson with compassion, though he had no doubt that Jackson would see it as pity. He wanted to make sure that his mate would never feel pressured into something. He was willing to fight another wolf to the death for him. He wasn’t going to force him to accept pleasure. He just wished he was told why he couldn’t please his mate.

Jackson pressed his face into Derek’s throat. He could feel the other’s eyes close as the eyelashes tickled his skin. Derek glanced out over the forest, watching as the snow continued to fall. He was surprised that there were any reports on the strange weather in the papers. He stroked Jackson’s hair, trying not to think about what the dawn would hold for him. He sighed and kissed the top of Jackson’s head. Whoever went into the kitchen was making their way towards the door again.

“Ah, so you’re finally finished?”

Derek glared at Peter. He should have known his uncle would be the one that was up and wandering around at that hour of the night. He should have also known it would be his uncle that would be the one to know what they were doing. Derek was certain he was quiet enough not to alert the werewolves to what was happening, but a shifter’s ears could pick up more than a werewolf’s could. Jackson pulled back and gazed at Peter indifferently.

“Jealous, old man?” Jackson’s eyes widened. “Oh, shit. I’m sorry. That was extremely insensitive.” He lowered his head and Derek could smell the arousal dying quickly around him. “Yeah, I’m gonna head off to bed before I shove my other foot in my mouth.”

Derek released Jackson and watched as he slinked into the house. Peter joined Derek on the porch, watching the snow. The fire wolf sighed and sipped the coffee he held. Derek searched the trees. He could feel someone watching them and he knew it would be Sierra. He figured she had been hanging around for a while and probably saw the little show that he and Jackson had put on. That was probably another reason for her to want to kill him.

He couldn’t see her through the snow and she was probably keeping her eyes one color. Peter finished his coffee and pulled out a cigarette, lighting it. Derek frowned at his uncle and moved to stand upwind. He could barely handle Vincent smoking. He wasn’t going to ask when Peter decided to pick up the filthy habit. In fact, he didn’t know anything about what Peter had done in the three years he was gone for.

“What did you do when you left?”

Peter inhaled deeply, glancing at Derek from the corner of his eye. “I did what any self-respecting fire wolf would have done. I joined a pack and killed the alpha, assuming the position. I ran into your mate twice while we were away, as well. He learned his place quickly, it would seem. Even though he knew me, he wouldn’t approach me without permission from his alpha and from me.” He inhaled again, expelling the smoke.

“How different are wolf-shifters from werewolves?” Derek was aware that he was stronger, faster and more powerful than Scott. He wasn’t going to use that to his advantage, though. He was more than happy to be the favorite beta in the pack and he was a decent advisor, as well. The others looked up to him and drew on his knowledge from his time as a werewolf.

“The rules are much stricter. The omega isn’t allowed to breathe without permission from their alpha. If they want to mate, they need to prove that they can provide for the entire pack. Without a doubt, your little Jackson probably had to kill in order to mate with Sierra.” Peter finished his cigarette and crushed it out in the ashtray. “He was miserable the first time I saw him. No one likes being the omega.”

Derek frowned and glanced at the door. He had no idea what it was like to be a pack of wolf-shifters, but something told him it was a good thing he didn’t know. He had no idea what Jackson had gone through for the last three years, until he decided to mate with Sierra. Derek lowered his eyes as he thought about what Jackson was like.

Three years ago, he was more than happy to receive pleasure. It had nothing to do with Derek being his mate or the fact that he tried to mate with someone else. Something had happened in the pack that destroyed Jackson’s self-worth when it came to pleasure. He knew that omegas weren’t treated nicely, but Derek was certain they wouldn’t be sexually abused, especially by someone they were meant to look up to.

“You’re finally catching on,” Peter murmured as he leaned on the railing. “When I took over the pack, I had omegas throwing themselves at me. The betas had their fun with them, since I wasn’t interested in the slightest. An unmated alpha is something that isn’t heard of in the shifter world. And those omegas could be very cunning when they wanted.” He sighed and dropped his head. “And then you add in the fact that Jackson is a human turned shifter and his life in a pack would be even worse.”

Derek swallowed and scanned the trees. He had no idea why Sierra would have accepted Jackson as her mate, especially since it sounded like human turned shifters weren’t all that welcomed. He had to question why the alpha of the pack would have accepted him, as well. It seemed as though human turned shifters were a blemish on the shifter society. As much as he didn’t want to, Derek knew he had to ask the next question.

“What happened to him?”

Peter stood and shrugged. “I can’t tell you exactly what happened to him, because I never treated my omegas that way. I can tell you that he was probably a favorite chew toy for the alpha and probably his favorite piece of ass on the side.” Derek growled and Peter held his hands up. “Jackson’s alpha would have dominated him in every way possible, including proving his sexual prowess. You haven’t joined a pack of shifters, nephew.”

Derek narrowed his eyes and decided that was a good thing. “How could they tell that he was a human turned shifter? He doesn’t smell any different to me than Sierra did.”

“Only human turned shifters have the blue and silver eyes. And while you can’t smell it, he does have the stench of humanity around him. Since I became a shifter through a contract with a demon, I smell like a human born shifter, like Vincent. You also have that scent on you. Trust me. If you had spent any time around shifters, you would smell difference on Jackson.” Peter turned his back to the trees. “I know that Tsuki once said to you ‘you can break what’s already broken,’ and you can. Jackson’s alpha destroyed him. You can see it in his eyes.”

Derek thought back to how Jackson had acted since he arrived. He tried to keep his cockiness up, but there were times when he submitted too easily. He was willing to give his body up to Scott, which made Derek grit his teeth. Scott was the alpha and Jackson knew he had to give up everything he could in order to be accepted into the pack. Derek didn’t think that three years would be enough to rewrite his wiring and change him entirely.

His mind went back to when Jackson said he loved him. Did he say that because he thought it was demanded of him? Or did he say it because that’s how he actually felt? Derek lowered his eyes and decided that Jackson just got more complicated than he already was. He didn’t want to know anything more of his time away from Beacon Hills. If he had just stayed, he wouldn’t have this problem. Derek also knew that was partly his fault for not accepting Jackson as his mate.

“What do you suggest I do in order to help him get over it?”

“First, I suggest that you don’t say that. Telling someone to get over three years of brutal abuse isn’t going to work and will likely only have him withdraw from you. I also recommend that you stop pushing him away. He’s looking for someone to help keep him upright. If you continue to pull away from him, he’s going to fall and you won’t rescue him in time.” Peter crossed his arms, lowering his eyes to the decking of the porch. “You said once that Jackson didn’t have much of a heart. I know you said that out of spite because he wouldn’t come to you when you called, but there’s also the issue that he cares too much.”

Derek pursed his lips. He really hated the fact that he was a dick to Jackson when the kanima shit was going down. He also hated the fact that there wasn’t anything he could do for him. It fell to Lydia to bring him back and then it fell to Derek to take his life. The hell that happened because of Jackson’s lack of identity was annoying, at best. Derek wondered if he was the right wolf to help Jackson get through his issues.

“What drew you to Jackson the first time you marked him?” Peter asked suddenly and Derek blinked at the question.

“I needed to find Scott and I knew that Jackson knew him. I thought he was cute when he tried to act tough and he was basically fearless, until I marked him.” Derek shrugged and turned his back to the trees, as well. “Then I found his fear intoxicating. It was like heroin.”

“And why did you mark him as yours?”

Derek clenched his jaw and glared at the decking. “It was an instinct. I don’t know why my instinct chose him, but it did and I couldn’t get away from it.” He looked at his uncle and saw the next question in his eyes. “I don’t know why! I figured he would make a decent werewolf, since he was already so athletic, if he could control his fear.”

Peter smirked. “You’ve mentioned everything except your sexual attraction to him,” he all but taunted at his nephew.

“Come on, it’s Jackson. Everyone’s felt some kind of attraction to him, including Scott and Stiles. Even _you_ thought he was pretty.”

Peter chuckled. “Yes, but I didn’t corner him when he was basically naked, either. You were the one that was stalking him.” He slapped Derek’s forehead. “Don’t glare like that; you’ll get wrinkles.”

Before Derek could growl and rip his uncle’s hand off, there was a scream. They ran inside and to the bedroom that Sarah was sleeping in. The others woke and came running, as well. Derek and Peter stepped to the side to allow Allison through so she could calm the hysterical girl. Derek tilted his head and slipped into Sarah’s mind. He pulled back instantly, shaking his head. The girl’s mind was a damn mess and needed to be fixed.

Derek looked over his shoulder and saw Jackson standing at the back of the group. Scott and Isaac joined Allison. Sarah wasn’t screaming, but she was sobbing uncontrollably. Derek walked up to Jackson and directed him back to the stairs. He flicked his hand and the front door closed and locked as they went upstairs. He didn’t need Sarah freaking out and trying to attack Jackson again. If that happened, he knew he would kill the human.

He already had one death to think about and he didn’t need to add an innocent human to that list. He glanced at the clock as they passed it and saw that he could get three hours of sleep before he had to face Sierra. His eyes went to Jackson. While Jackson was ready to die for Derek, Derek was ready to kill for Jackson. He wasn’t sure if that was better or worse and he really didn’t care. As long as he was with Jackson with the dust settled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Oh yes, the plot is moving along now. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the next one will be up shortly! Thanks for the kudos and the comments. I really loved receiving them all and hope there will be more in the future.  
> Until the next one, my lovelies!  
> Peace.
> 
> Auska.


	10. Chapter X

**~Breathing Angel Style~**

By: Aerys Krystie.

oOo

Derek was woken when Jackson groaned and rolled over, dropping his head on his chest. Derek opened his eyes, looking down at Jackson’s head. He shook his head and gently pushed the snow wolf back. He needed to get up and be ready to face Sierra. As much as he wanted to hunt her down, he knew that Jackson needed to be present for the fight. That also meant that the others would be around. He could only hope that Scott had given them the warning to stay out of it.

Jackson sighed and picked himself up, before he dropped on the other side of the bed. Derek raised an eyebrow at the way Jackson turned over. It was violent. He threw back the covers and checked the time. It was half an hour before dawn and he could already hear Scott moving around downstairs. He could hear the steady heart of Tsuki and the powerful beat of Vincent’s heart. Everyone was going to be present for the fight, which was probably why Sierra had told Peter to return to the town. She figured she was going to be victorious. If they were fighting for anything else, it was highly likely she would win.

Derek looked over his shoulder. Jackson couldn’t get comfortable and eventually ended up opening his eyes to glare at the ceiling. Sighing, Jackson’s eyes slid over to Derek. For a brief moment, Derek was certain he saw fear and urgent appeal in the swirling eyes. He blinked and it was all gone. Jackson was gazing at him blankly, as though he didn’t have an opinion on what was about to happen. Jackson sat up and knelt behind Derek, wrapping his arms around the earth wolf’s shoulders.

Jackson pressed his lips to Derek’s shoulder and then pulled back. He said nothing as he slipped out of the bed and went into the bathroom. Derek knew he wouldn’t be returning to that bed. As much as he didn’t want to know, he could feel Jackson’s uncertainty. The snow wolf had no idea who was going to win the fight and he didn’t want to be present for it. Derek had seen the different scenes playing out in Jackson’s mind and he didn’t like most of them.

Derek ran his hands through his hair when the shower turned on. Ten minutes later, Jackson walked out fully dressed. They didn’t say anything as Jackson went downstairs for breakfast. Derek showered quickly and dressed the same Jackson did, with his magic. He joined Jackson and the others in the kitchen, eating the large meal that was placed in front of him. Tsuki said he would need all of his energy and Derek really wasn’t going to argue with the one being that knew the outcome of the fight.

Scott came down the stairs and sat beside Derek, grabbing a bagel and staring at the earth wolf. Derek tried to ignore the gaze, focusing entirely on his meal. He forced half of it down before the nerves made the rest impossible. He swallowed and sat back, closing his eyes and trying to remember what Jackson told him. He already figured that Sierra was a dirty fighter. The only problem was he had no idea how low she would sink in order to win. He really didn’t want her to blind him.

Sarah was the next person into the kitchen. She froze when her eyes landed on Jackson and she walked around the table to get away from him. Jackson glared at her, but eventually stood and walked out of the room. Derek tried not to kill her on the spot for making his mate leave. Her mind was still a mess and she didn’t trust anyone with swirling eyes, which is probably why Derek always kept his on the usual green. Jackson didn’t care who saw his eyes. It was an attitude problem that he had.

Isaac and Liam were the next ones in, gazing at him with sympathy. Derek frowned and looked above his head. He growled at the neon sign that so eloquently said: ‘Dead Wolf Walking.’ His eyes snapped to the Vincent and the dragon grinned at him, sitting back and drinking his peppermint tea. Derek shook his head and stood, sighing when the sign moved with him. He asked Vincent to remove it and wasn’t given an answer. The sign remained, though.

Vincent picked up the paper and frowned at the front page. The strange weather had finally made it to the news and no one had any idea why they were getting a snow storm in the last month of summer. Derek exhaled and headed to the front porch. The others were following him, trying to be as quiet as possible, as though they were in a cartoon and Derek didn’t know they were there. He found Jackson standing on the porch, staring at the snow that was still falling.

Derek stood beside Jackson and tried to act as though he wasn’t bothered by what was about to happen. He got the feeling that the others could see right through it, but he really didn’t care. He needed to remain calm so he could win and kill an alpha wolf-shifter. It was simple enough, except she was likely a born shifter and had been training to fight for her entire life. Derek was only a young shifter compared to her and would likely have his ass handed to him on a silver platter.

He turned his back to the trees and watched the others. They were gazing at the sign above his head and Derek rolled his eyes. His eyes lit up when he heard Sierra howl and shifted into his animal form. Isaac stepped up to him and gave him a quick hug, pulling back before Derek could snap at him. Scott wished him luck and Derek wasn’t sure if that would be enough. He looked to Jackson, but his mate refused to look in his direction. He had his eyes closed as he listened to the wind.

“She’s angry that you’re actually going through with this. You can use that your advantage. The angrier she gets, the less control she has,” Jackson explained as he stared at the tree line. “Stay calm and listen to her heart. You’ll find that to be easy, since you enjoy doing that.”

Derek raised his head and saw that the sign had disappeared. He walked down the stairs and sat down, waiting for Sierra to arrive. Malia and Stiles came out of the house just as Sierra left the trees. The snow came down harder and Derek’s eyes flashed green as he got the trees to grow their branches and stop the snow from blocking his view of her. She narrowed her eyes and a dome of ice was created over them. Derek got the feeling that she was smirking as he watched the dome reach its peak.

 _Just to make sure that no one bothers us. You have laid claim to something that’s mine._ Derek stood and glared down the foot he was taller by. Her tail swayed from side to side. She was clearly agitated already, but not as pissed off as Derek was. No one was allowed to claim Jackson except him. He had marked the boy before he even knew about werewolves and long before Sierra even knew he existed.

“He belonged to me long before you even knew about him,” Derek stated as he walked up to her. She held her ground and snapped at his throat. Derek knew he could win this fight in seconds, but he felt the need to work out some frustrations on her. She had caused his mate nothing but grief since he had met her.

Sierra growled and jumped to the left. Derek figured the fight was on. He snarled as she jumped onto his back, burying her teeth into his ruff and twisting the skin. He could feel it tearing. He dropped to the ground and heard something crack, which he was desperately hoping was something on her. She released his ruff and Derek stood, only to have her grab his throat and throw him against the dome. The ice cracked under the force and Derek felt a spear pierce his side.

He twisted his body and snapped the spear. He landed on his feet and shook his coat, trying to pretend that it didn’t hurt. Sierra’s eyes widened as she watched him approach her. Derek paused when his paw stepped on a pike of ice, piercing the tender flesh of his pad. He growled and grew the tree roots, letting them wrap around Sierra’s body and squeeze tightly. She yelped, but her eyes flashed violet and the roots were frozen. They broke and the shards were fired at him. Derek raised a chunk of rock to take the heat and ran around it, ignoring the fact that a lung had a hole in it.

Derek surprised her from the left and clamped his jaws on her ruff, shaking his head to sink his teeth in further. She whined and turned her head, taking his right leg into her mouth and biting hard; the bone was broken. Derek growled and threw her against the dome. Her blood splattered on the ice and she fell to the ground in a heap. He dropped the chunk of fur and flesh that was in his mouth. The snow was staining with her blood, but she got to her feet, glaring at him.

Sierra used the snow to create a cloud. Derek blinked and tried to listen for her. He hissed as one of her fangs caught the hole created by the spear of ice on his ribs. It was ripped open more and Derek raised his injured leg, scratching her across the face. She shook her head and stepped back as her eye was caught. The snow still hadn’t settled and Derek went in for her throat. His eyes widened when she grinned and jumped to the right of him, ripping out a small piece of his skin from the side of his throat. He snarled and turned on her, grabbing the edge of the missing part of her neck in his teeth.

She yelped pitifully and Derek almost let go. He mentally shook his head and ripped it down further, watching as her blood pooled on the snow. He worked his jaws against her throat for a moment, until he was forced to let go when a spear came up from the ground and shot through his right shoulder joint. He limped back and glared at her, trying to figure out a way to kill her. The snow settled and Derek glanced at the others. Jackson looked pained, as though he was feeling everything that Derek was.

Derek’s eyes widened when he felt the pain from his shoulder wound disappear and he saw Jackson collapse. Rolling his shoulders, Derek looked at Sierra. She was staring at Jackson. _What makes you so special that he would take your pain?_ She turned her raging eyes to Derek, looking him over and Derek cocked his head to the side, giving her his best grin. Her growl was positively demonic.

Sierra ran at him and the fight was what one would expect two wolves fighting to look like. Teeth flashed and blood sprayed across the snow as each got in lucky shots. They were thrown against the dome; cracking the ice more each time. Their claws lengthened slightly and sharpened as they slashed at the other. After a few minutes, they were standing back, panting and watching the other. Derek’s body was struggling to stay upright from the exertion and the blood loss. Sierra was letting out a hoarse laugh as she walking back and forth like a caged animal.

 _You don’t know the first thing about being a wolf-shifter. How could you think that you know how to be a decent mate if you can’t defend him properly?_ Her words were taunting and Derek honestly couldn’t say he didn’t disagree with her. He knew he had a lot to learn about being a decent mate and an even better wolf-shifter. Scott depended on him to be a great beta. Jackson needed him to be a brilliant mate and Derek would be damned if he was going to let either of them down.

The shaking in his limbs stopped as he lowered his head and snarled. Sierra cocked her head to the side and Derek caught the scent of her confusion. She was clearly expecting her words to have the opposite effect on him. If it were any other time, they probably would have made him feel like shit. However, Jackson needed him to win this. Derek couldn’t bear the thought of Sierra mating with Jackson. She was completely wrong for him. She would try to control him, instead of letting him be who he is. Admittedly, who Jackson was is a jackass, but he was _Derek’s_ jackass.

Sierra took a step towards him. _You can barely remain upright. Does he mean that much to you?_ Derek was certain she was taunting him again, but there was an edge of intrigue to her words. She wanted to know what Jackson meant to him and he would tell her, if he wasn’t fighting her for him. She took another step closer. _He claimed that he didn’t have a mate, despite carrying another’s scent on him. I saw you in his mind. I saw you every time he dreamed. You were always the one that brought him pleasure and made him smile. And that’s exactly why you have to die_. Derek blinked.

“I’m not dying by your mouth or anyone else’s for Jackson. He knows where he belongs and he knows whose side he should be at.” Derek raised his head. “If he wanted you, he would have left me the moment he knew you were alive. He’s still here, which means he knows where he needs to be. You were just a poor imitation of me and he knew that. You will never be anything more than a sad excuse of a mate to him.”

Sierra snarled and charged at Derek. He was expecting it and really hoping for it. It took too much to taunt her into attacking. He caught her left leg in his mouth, biting down on it and nearly ripping it from her body as he threw her against the dome. The back of her head made contact. She stumbled to her feet, gasping when Derek appeared in front of her. He tilted his head, contemplating letting her live for a moment. He quickly discarded it and buried his teeth into her throat, ripping out. He snapped her neck just to be on the safe side.

Her body fell to the snow, convulsing and eventually slowing to a twitch. The dome disappeared, as did the snow and the clouds. Derek gazed down at her body indifferently. He figured he would have felt something, a small pang of guilt or compassion. He felt absolutely nothing for this crazed bitch that had murdered four people and used Jackson as a puppet to make him kill for her. Perhaps she was different before the xylomancer attacked the pack. It was no excuse, though.

Derek raised his head, seeing the shock on nearly everyone’s faces. Tsuki and Vincent appeared indifferent that he had won, despite Vincent’s sign earlier. Derek couldn’t be sure if they were surprised he won or if it was the fact that he had blood _gushing_ from several bites, holes and rips. He was hoping it was the blood thing or he would need to have strong words with them about their lack of faith in him.

Jackson approached him and Derek knew exactly what he was going to do. The moment a hand reached out to him, Derek snapped at it and Jackson gasped, jumping back. Hurt and fear flashed through his eyes, but he nodded and let Vincent pull him off to the side as Derek limped towards the house. He figured someone would deal with the body of Sierra. He really didn’t care what happened to it, as long as he never had to see her again.

He managed to get five steps towards the house, before he collapsed. He heard the others cry out his name as they rushed towards him, but someone kept them back. Derek could only assume it was Tsuki, as Vincent didn’t care enough and Tsuki was the one that was there for him when the change was taking place. He closed his eyes and let the darkness claim him. He shut down his wolf and subconscious, as well. He really didn’t want to be disturbed for the next few days while he was healing.

oOo

Derek woke with a start and looked around the room. He was in his room, in his human form for some reason. He thought he was alone until he saw a lump under the covers on the daybed. He sat up and ran his hands over the back of his neck, feeling the smooth skin. He touched his ribs and it was just as smooth as a newborn’s chest should be. He threw back the covers and went over to the daybed.

For some reason, he was really expecting Jackson to be the one sleeping there. Stiles groaned and opened his eyes. He offered a lazy smile for a moment, before sleep claimed him again. Derek had no idea how long he was out for or how long Stiles was watching over him. He shrugged and went to the bathroom. He relieved his bladder and showered quickly. He went through to Jackson’s room once he was dried and dressed. He pursed his lips when he saw that Jackson was in his animal form and surrounded by the rest of the pack.

Derek stared down at Jackson until the white wolf raised his head and gazed back. He went to take a step towards Jackson, but his body decided to walk out the door and head down to the kitchen. He sat down at the table and stared at the large breakfast in front of him. Tsuki sat at the head of the table, stirring his coffee as he stared at the report for his soul inventory. Derek frowned and figured that Tsuki was responsible for him being down there, instead of curled up beside Jackson.

“I would not push your luck with him just yet,” Tsuki said absently as he made a note on the report. “You did snap at him when he tried to help. There is a reason why young Stiles is in your room instead of Jackson. I suppose you do not wish to hear this, though. Your body has been through quite an ordeal. You were out for three weeks. I suggest you eat and recover some energy.”

Derek closed his eyes at the information overload. He opened them and sighed, digging into the breakfast without a thought of actually chewing the food. In three minutes, he was done and sat back with a cup of a coffee in his hand. He thought about what Tsuki had said, curious on why he was getting most of his information from a demon. He heard someone coming downstairs and looked over his shoulder as Jackson entered and grabbed the plate of pancakes from Tsuki.

“Thanks, dear,” Jackson said sarcastically and kissed Tsuki’s cheek before sitting down at the breakfast counter. “Are you still doing the inventory?”

“It is a terribly long list that I must go through. However, someone must do it.” Tsuki glanced up, pen poised on the paper as he gazed at Jackson’s back. “You are aware that there are nine billion souls in Hell, yes?”

Jackson spun around on the stool and stared at Tsuki. He shook his head. “I didn’t even realize there had been nine billion people that were Hell bound.” He shrugged and went back to his breakfast. He finished and took the plate to the sink. “Tell Vincent I’m going for my run.”

Derek figured it would happen, but he honestly expected Jackson to at least _look_ at him. The snow wolf jogged out of the house, his outfit changing. Derek shook his head and sat back, glaring at the coffee in his hand. He had been in pain when Jackson approached him. Oh sure, Derek knew exactly what he was doing when Jackson reached for him. He didn’t want his mate in pain, though. It was bad enough Jackson took on his shoulder injury, just so Derek could continue to fight for him.

With a sigh, Derek finished his coffee and followed Jackson. He kept his distance as he didn’t want to anger the snow wolf. He knew what route Jackson took when it came to his runs. As expected, he found Jackson in the clearing that Tsuki created. It was different this time, as Sarah was also in the clearing. She was on her knees, crying into her hands. Derek noticed that Jackson was staring at her, clearly without a clue on what to do in a situation like this.

“Well, you look like you have your own thing going on here,” Jackson said awkwardly and went to turn away. Sarah looked over her shoulder.

“Aren’t you going to ask me what’s wrong?” she inquired and Jackson snorted.

“Yeah, I’m not pulling the pin on _that_ grenade,” he stated and turned away, shaking his head and running back towards the house.

Derek watched as Jackson passed him and stepped into the clearing, deciding he should probably be the one to talk to her. Something was upsetting her and whoever was meant to be watching her was doing a piss poor job at it. Sarah sighed and looked over her shoulder again, raising an eyebrow when she saw Derek instead of Jackson returning. Derek understood that Sarah was new, but he seriously thought she would have figured out that Jackson really didn’t take a shine to people that threw plates and glasses at him.

He waited for her to stand up, brushing off her knees. She turned to him, hardness in her eyes. “Your boyfriend is a dick,” she stated and crossed her arms over her chest.

“I’ll tell you this once. I just took out a wolf-shifter for him and if you ever speak the truth about him again, I’ll take you out.” Derek hid a smirk as he smelled the fear that entered her system. “Now, did you want to tell me why you’re out here, alone and crying?”

Sarah exhaled and sat down, drawing lines in the dirt with her fingers. “Allison told me about you and your boyfriend. I know I don’t really have a reason to be upset that my parents are dead, since so many people seem to have dead parents around here. Maybe that’s why everyone gathered here.” She shrugged and raised her head to the cloudless sky. “But I only lost mine a month ago. It still hurts whenever I think about it.”

Derek glanced over his shoulder, despite knowing they were alone. He never opened up to anyone about what happened to his family, even though everyone knew what happened. A declaration was kind of hard to ignore, especially for Allison. He sat beside Sarah and also looked up at the sky.

Not a day passed where he didn’t miss his family. Jackson didn’t know his real parents and his adoptive parents thought that money was the perfect way to raise a child. Stiles had a great relationship with his father, but it was obvious he still missed his mother. Scott’s parents were only divorced, but his mother had been his mother and father for so long that Derek was certain Scott forgot that he actually had a dad.

He didn’t want to think about the mess with Allison’s mother. It had been a terrible accident that he wished he could take back. Derek was grateful that Allison finally realized it was an accident and decided to be civil towards him. However, when it came to telling Sarah that the pain gets easier, he had no idea how to word it without sounding completely insensitive. For a moment, he considered calling Jackson back so he could tell her as he had a natural knack for speaking his mind.

“I lost my nine years ago,” he started and lowered his eyes to the dirt. “It still hurts as if it happened yesterday. The pain gets easier to deal with, but that doesn’t mean it hurts any less. No one is going to tell you to get over it. Everyone grieves differently.”

Sarah inhaled deeply. “I remember going into their bedroom and just seeing blood everywhere. There was so much of it that I slipped in it. Then I saw what happened to them and I…” Her voice broke and she pressed her forehead to her knees. “My mom was such a beautiful person. To see what happened to her was – It was horrible. And that’s gonna be my final memory of them.”

Derek nodded. He had spent the last nine years desperately clinging to memories previous to the fire. His mother was also a beautiful woman, as were his sisters. He forced back the emotions that were threatening to spill free and watched as Sarah made swirls in the dirt. He raised his eyes to hers and she frowned. Derek knew his magic had dropped and she was seeing his true eye color for the first time. She jumped to her feet, eyes wide with fear of what he could do.

“Are you the same as that other wolf, your boyfriend? Are you going to chase me half way through the town and then to a house filled with strange people that live together? I’ve heard about that house. And the last thing I heard was that it was meant to be a burned out husk. I know that was nine years ago, but everyone’s been living there for so long that it clearly didn’t happen overnight!” She was close to hysteria again and Derek had no idea how to calm her.

“You already know that I can shift into a wolf. Jackson is the same. Vincent is a dragon. Tsuki is a demon.” Sarah’s eyes widened even more. “He’s a good demon,” Derek clarified and realized what a complete oxymoron that was. He decided to think about it later. “Scott, Isaac and Liam are werewolves. Malia is a coyote.”

“Allison and Stiles?” she asked tentatively and Derek could see that she was planning on running away from him, thinking he was out of his mind.

“They’re human – completely.” Derek watched as the different emotions played over her face. He could hear some of her thoughts; the ones that made sense. The others were a jumble of strange words in a language he didn’t recognize.

Eventually, she fell to her knees as she stared at him. “Are you joking?” she demanded. “How do you expect me to believe that anything I’ve seen hasn’t been a trick of the light or an elaborate prank on my behalf?” She raised an eyebrow.

Derek sighed and stood. He shifted into his animal form and sat in front of her, tilting his head to the side. She looked unconvinced and Derek gave her credit. She was delusional enough to believe that she was hallucinating or that he was a projection. He had no idea how to convince her otherwise and he really didn’t care. She would probably lose her shit when the full moon rolled around and she saw the others wolf out.

“You could try touching me,” he said and raised a paw.

Sarah narrowed her eyes and hesitantly held her hand out. Derek placed his paw in her hand and her eyes widened for a moment, before she frowned and squeezed his paw. Awe and wonder settled on her face. “What are you? You said Vincent was a dragon, but he doesn’t look anything like a dragon.” She moved closer and ran her hands over Derek’s ruff, losing her fingers in the thick, soft fur.

“Jackson and I are wolf-shifters. Vincent is a dragon-shifter. I hear his animal form is rather amazing.”

“You mean an actual dragon? I thought those things were myths!” Sarah moved closer and hugged Derek tightly. “You’re so soft and warm,” she murmured and pulled back, staring at his swirling eyes. “Why are your eyes different to Jackson’s?”

“I was bitten by a wolf-shifter, my psychotic uncle. Jackson was a…special case. He wasn’t bitten by a wolf-shifter and he wasn’t born a wolf-shifter. Apparently the blue and silver eyes of Jackson are only found in human turned shifters.” Derek glanced at her and saw that she was hanging on every word he was saying; as though she didn’t think he was insane five minutes ago.

Sarah tilted her head to the side, taking in all the information she could. “What makes Jackson such a special case? Did he contract the illness from a wolf?”

Derek narrowed his eyes. He knew she didn’t like Jackson, but to imply that he became a wolf-shifter because of unprotected sex with a wolf was low. “No. He was a werewolf before he became a wolf-shifter, which is why he’s referred to as a human turned shifter.”

“And that’s the difference? Wouldn’t that make you a human turned shifter, as well? You were a werewolf when you were bitten, even if it was from a wolf-shifter.” She shrugged and sat back, watching as Derek’s coat shimmered between emerald and sapphire.

“Jackson wasn’t bitten by a wolf-shifter. He had no contact with shifters until three years ago, when he met Vincent.” Derek frowned and tried to understand why he was telling her all of this. She wasn’t part of the pack and she wasn’t some kind of supernatural creature. He didn’t understand why he was answering all of her questions without hesitation.

“But that still doesn’t explain why he’s so special. What did he do to become a wolf-shifter? What did your uncle do? How do you become a shifter? It doesn’t sound like it’s something easy to accomplish.” She cocked her head to the other side and Derek mimicked her.

“Jackson came down with werewolf pneumonia, which is basically werewolf rabies. It’s a rare disease that affects like point zero-zero-zero three per cent of werewolves. It should send them insane, but Jackson’s DNA was already altered and he became a wolf-shifter. My uncle sold his soul to become a wolf-shifter. And no, it isn’t easy to accomplish. I was in a living hell for six days as my body underwent the change.” Derek shuddered at the memory. “Why are you asking all of this?”

Sarah shrugged and crossed her legs. “I’m curious,” she stated and rested an elbow on her knee and her cheek on her palm. “It isn’t every day that I learn about new creatures that shouldn’t exist. Werewolves are meant to be a myth – an urban legend, just like shifters. Dragons aren’t even classed as a real animal. And then there’s the crap about Tsuki being a demon.” She shrugged again.

“I honestly didn’t believe Tsuki to be a demon and I’m still not entirely sure about it, either. He hasn’t done anything truly demonic since I’ve known him.” Derek shifted back into his human form. “I guess he could convince me he was a demon if he took me to Hell or something. I guess I should just wait for Lucifer to show up and say that Tsuki is one of his many underlings.”

Sarah nodded. “Hmm,” she hummed distractedly and Derek raised an eyebrow. She was staring off into space, which happened to be three inches above Derek’s head. He remembered Tsuki doing that, but the demon never gave him an answer as to why he did that. “I guess you’ll do.”

Derek frowned and looked around. He hadn’t sensed another being in the area, so he could only assume she was talking to him. “I’ll do for what?”

Sarah didn’t say anything as she stood and dusted off her ass. She flipped her hair over her shoulder. “It doesn’t matter for now. By the way, why did you pick Jackson to be your mate?”

Derek rolled his eyes at the question. He was getting tired of being asked that. It was his business and his alone. The fact that he didn’t have an answer for it was irrelevant. “He looks delicious in a tight pair of jeans,” he muttered and walked away from the girl.

He found Jackson on the porch, staring intently at Scott. It lasted a minute, before Jackson broke into a grin and laughed. “You son of a… That wasn’t fair!” He collapsed into a chair, running his hands through his hair as he continued to laugh. When he looked up, his eyes landed on Derek and the mirth disappeared completely from his face. “I gotta piss.”

Derek watched as Jackson went inside and Scott turned to him, raising an eyebrow. Derek shrugged and headed into the kitchen. He honestly had no idea what the hell was happening. He just woke up and he was almost certain he couldn’t be held accountable for what happened after the fight with Sierra. Hell, he nearly died because of that fight. He sighed when he got to the kitchen.

Jackson was sitting at the table with Danny and Ethan. Derek stood beside Jackson and took in his casual pose. He had one foot on the seat as he hugged the knee to his chest. Derek glanced at Danny and Ethan, telling them to leave. They each raised an eyebrow and Jackson glared at him. Danny and Ethan said they needed to pack up their room, anyway. Once they were alone, Derek didn’t have time to react when Jackson stood on the chair and wrapped a leg around his neck, taking him down to the floor.

Derek gasped for breath and saw the anger in Jackson’s eyes. “You don’t get to speak to my friends that way. And if you don’t stop struggling, I will snap your neck,” he threatened and Derek went still. “I appreciate what you did for me, by taking out Sierra. However, you snapped at my hand when I tried to help you.” Derek tensed when Jackson applied more pressure with his leg. “Just remember that I spent three years with a shifter pack, while you were around werewolves. Shifters are more brutal than you could even begin to imagine.”

Jackson applied more pressure for a moment and Derek thought he was going to lose consciousness. The snow wolf released his neck and stood. Derek sucked in the air and decided that he should only take on Jackson when he was in his wolf form. As a human, he was more cunning than Derek gave him credit for and much more pliable, too. He sat up and rubbed his throat, gazing up at Jackson. Maybe Jackson was holding back. That was as much of an option as him being a crappy wolf.

“Why do you always hold back?” Derek demanded as he got to his feet and stared at Jackson.

With a shrug, Jackson turned away from him and went to the fridge. He opened the freezer and threw a bag of peas at Derek. “I killed someone when I was with the pack,” he murmured and slammed the door of the freezer. “It was a beta. It also happened to be the alpha’s only son that I just murdered during a fitness trial. He wanted to skin and gut me for that. I’m an omega and I just took out the favorite to be the next alpha.” He sighed and pressed his head to the door of the fridge.

Derek placed the bag of peas to his throat, jerking his head back at the iciness. “What the hell is a fitness trial?”

“It determines where new pack members will be placed in the pack. If they can get the favorite to submit to them, they’ll become a beta immediately and possibly even allowed to break off and become an alpha. There are three stages to each trial – omega, beta and then alpha. We were only meant to maim and force submission. I took it too far, as I always do.” Jackson lowered his eyes and sighed again. “He had every right to do what he did to me.”

The last part was barely a whisper and Derek wasn’t sure if he had even heard it. He dropped the bag to the counter and stood beside Jackson, resting his shoulder against the other’s shoulder. He had no idea what to say to something like that. He could think of a few things that might make Jackson feel better, but it wouldn’t last for long. Jackson detested taking another life. That told Derek that something bad had happened in order for Jackson to lose control like that.

“How long were you with the pack when that happened?”

Jackson sighed and glanced at Derek from the corner of his eye. “Seven months,” he answered and pushed away from the fridge. “I never meant to do it, but he was such an arrogant fucktard that I was doing everyone a service by putting him out of my misery.”

Derek arched an eyebrow. There was a lot of Vincent in those words and Derek wasn’t sure if he was happy with the fact that the dragon had such a strong influence over the wolf. He didn’t say anything and focused on Jackson’s last words about the alpha having every right to do what he did. Derek couldn’t believe that someone would abuse their power like that. He clenched his jaw and lowered his eyes, deciding he wasn’t allowed to throw stones, especially in a glass house.

“What did he do for punishment?”

Jackson flinched and tried to leave the kitchen. Derek grabbed his wrist to stop him and refused to let go, even when Jackson glared at him. “What he did was within his rights as an alpha. I know that I’m only an omega, so I can’t complain about it. I killed his son.” He lowered his eyes for a moment. When he looked back up, his face was blank. “I guess I’m really attracted to those that like to hurt me.”

Derek’s lips parted and he desperately wanted to say something, anything, to let Jackson know he wasn’t like that. He didn’t like hurting Jackson, but there were times that he was just _begging_ for it and Derek needed to assert his dominance over the omega. It wouldn’t make much of a difference to Jackson, but Derek had to say something. For the life of him, he couldn’t think of one thing that wouldn’t sound like a pathetic, sad and sorry excuse.

So he let go of Jackson’s wrist and stepped back, unsure if they could continue along this path. Every time Jackson tried to get his shit together, Derek destroyed him. He thought back to what Tsuki told him, if he let Jackson go again, how he wouldn’t interfere again. He frowned and left the kitchen via the backdoor. He stood on the small porch and glared at the trees. Jackson was told he was the one that summoned the xylomancer. What if Tsuki had a hand to play in that?

Jackson watched him for a moment, chewing his lower lip. “I’m sorry,” he said softly. Derek blinked and frowned, staring at the snow wolf. “You really didn’t need to know that your mate is a psychopath. I figured that you should know, though. Most of our relationship has been about keeping secrets, so I decided it was time to tell you at least one truth.”

Derek brushed his fingertips over Jackson’s cheek. He stepped closer and pressed his lips to Jackson’s, feeling the other shuddering against him. It was going to take some time, but Derek figured he could continue to treasure Jackson for as long he needed to. He needed to make sure the snow wolf realized he actually meant something to someone, even if that someone did abuse him a little. At least he knew where his faults were and he was trying to work on them.

Jackson pulled back and lowered his head. Derek smiled and pulled him close, wrapping his arms around Jackson’s smaller shoulders. He kissed the side of his head and closed his eyes, inhaling the fresh scent that surrounded his mate. He idly stroked the scars on Jackson’s neck and felt his smile morphing in a smirk as Jackson sighed and nuzzled into his throat. Derek didn’t know what the future would hold for them, but he was going to make sure he was by Jackson’s side.

At some point, he was going to make sure he was gentler with Jackson, as well. Yet there was something about who Jackson was that made it too easy to slap him around. Derek assumed it was a trust thing, as Jackson trusted him implicitly. Jackson knew he was going to be the omega in every pack, which was a damn good thing for them. No one expects an omega to be so powerful, especially if he could take out a beta. Derek opened his eyes when someone walked into the kitchen.

Isaac looked at them and grinned. He pulled out his cell phone and called someone, saying they owed him an obscene amount of money. Derek heard the Irish tones of Mark and rolled his eyes, deciding that he needed to tell Scott to limit the pack’s exposure to that alpha. It was bad enough to know that the Doyle pack had bets going on about him and Jackson; he really didn’t need to know how pack was getting in on those bets. It wasn’t very professional or considerate.

“Derek, Mark says that you owe Liam’s brother three hundred for losing the bet.”

Jackson tensed in Derek’s arms and the earth wolf quickly moved to stand beside Isaac. Jackson turned slowly, glaring at both of them. “Really?” he demanded as his eyes turned silver. “That’s how you keep yourself entertained while I’m away for three years? Everyone places a bet on how long it’ll take for me and Derek to hook up?”

Isaac fumbled with the phone for a moment, which meant he turned on the speaker function. Mark was talking about who owed who money and how much it would be. Jackson lowered his eyes to the device and it was frozen over in seconds before it shattered. Isaac jumped back and stood behind Derek, deciding he could be the meat shield. That didn’t work too well for Derek, though. He was planning on using Isaac, since Jackson still showed affection for the werewolf.

“This is what Scott meant by Mark ‘gave up his mob ways’?” Jackson shook his head and pulled out his cell phone when it buzzed. He answered it, turning his back to the pair. Derek frowned when he heard Jackson laugh. Something wasn’t right.

“Wait, did you have a bet in place, as well?” Derek asked and Jackson glanced over his shoulders, eyes swirling and alive. “You cheeky bastard.”

“Hey, it was _my_ love life that everyone was betting on. I thought I had a right to get in on the action.” Jackson shrugged, smirking.

Derek narrowed his eyes and caught Jackson in a headlock. He ruffled his hair until Jackson was all but begging him to stop messing up his hair. Isaac laughed as he pulled the orange juice from the fridge and poured himself a glass. He shook his head and took his orange juice to the living room. Derek released Jackson and smiled at the pout on his mate’s face as he tried to fix his hair.

Vincent entered the kitchen and saw the orange juice. He growled and basically screamed Isaac’s name. The werewolf came running, staring at Vincent with large eyes. “If you’re done with the juice, it goes back in the fridge. Were you raised by wolves?” Vincent stood back as Isaac quickly put away the juice. “Seriously, I was gone for like two years. _Scott_!”

Jackson bit his lower lip in a vain attempt to keep the grin off his face as Scott ran into the kitchen and stood at attention. Derek watched as Vincent chewed Scott out for letting the wolves slip into a state of laziness. He raised an eyebrow as he glanced at the counter. He knew that Vincent had a very strict routine, which is something he learned quickly when being taught by the dragon. Everything had a time and a place, including emotions and tantrums.

“Clearly, I can’t leave anyone alone in this place. I ignore Jackson for two days and he runs off. I leave after helping Derek with his magic and he submits to you. I tell you to keep on your pups about their waning ways and you completely ignore me. Did you see the _state_ of my front foyer? Do you have any idea how difficult it is to keep that shit clean?”

Derek shook his head when Scott opened his mouth. The alpha decided to say what was on his mind, anyway. “Isn’t this Derek’s house?”

Vincent went unnaturally still. Derek and Jackson slowly backed towards the backdoor, ready to make a break for it if Vincent decided to kill. “Derek’s house?” he repeated and turned to look at Derek. “It might be his family home, but it’s my name on the deed. _I’m_ the one that’s paying the utilities and _I’m_ the one that has given everyone here somewhere to sleep and call home, without being disturbed by the county!”

Derek grabbed Jackson and ran out the backdoor. It was now up to Scott to prove how much of an alpha he really was. If was smart, he would apologize and live to see his twenty-first birthday. If he was dumb, he would be dead in seconds. That was the one thing that Derek never shared with Scott. Though, none of them expected Vincent to return.

Jackson laughed as they rounded the house to the front porch and Derek shook his head. He had no idea how Scott was going to fair, but he hoped that the werewolf would survive. It took Derek a while to grow accustomed to Vincent being stronger than him. Power struggles were bound to pop up with shifters and werewolves in the mix.

Allison, Isaac, Liam, Malia and Stiles were on the front lawn. They were watching the clouds pass by and pointing out shapes they could see. Stiles raised his head and waved them over, telling them they should come and have some fun. Jackson shrugged and lied beside the human, smirking a little as he waved his hand and more clouds appeared.

Sarah came out of the woods and smiled. She went to the join the others, but someone clearing their throat made her freeze and look up. Derek glanced at Tsuki from the corner of his eye and had to raise an eyebrow. He had no idea what Tsuki would want with a human girl, but his face was unreadable, as usual. He only gazed at Sarah and her eyes widened. Tsuki held an arm out and Sarah walked up to him. The arm snaked around her shoulders and they disappeared into the woods.

Derek returned his eyes to the group that was gazing at the sky. He listened as Malia asked for the clouds to look like a herd of horses. Jackson moved his hand and the clouds morphed into what Malia wanted. She grinned and nodded, clearly impressed by the magic of a shifter. Jackson waved his hand again and one of the clouds suddenly looked like Optimus Prime, even down to the red and blue paint job. Liam grinned. Jackson raised his hand and the clouds turned into a pack of wolves, howling at the full moon with a human watching over them.

Stiles pulled out his camera and snapped a picture of it. Derek looked up at the clouds. He felt the need to smile, but when he looked down at the pack and saw their faces as they gazed at the wolf cloud, he did smile. He forgot how happy Jackson could make them, especially when he shifted into his animal form. Feeling his eyes on him, Jackson twisted his head and grinned at him.

Everything was going to be all right, he decided and breathed out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, my gosh! I am so sorry that it took forever to finally update! This is actually the final chapter, but there's one more that's a "deleted scene/blooper" chapter. Anyways, I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter. Thanks for the comments and kudos and I hope to get more in the future.  
> Until the next one, my lovelies!  
> Peace.  
> Auska.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Leaving a review and I'll let you know if I can reveal that information.
> 
> Peace.  
> Auska.


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